Reverse Psychology
by xByakuyaKuchikix
Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger. See beginning of each chapter for more detailed summary.
1. Chapter 1

My very first Severus Snape/Hermione Granger (I shall refer to it as Sevmione from now on... even thought it sounds odd.) fanfiction. I'm excited.

I must thank my lovely friend, who is Pintos on here, for introducing me to the fanfiction _Vixen_ on here (written by SheriLovingLecter; first chapter here: .net/s/5202994/1/bVixen_b ), the world's best Snamione fanfic ever. If anyone knows any other good ones, please let me know!

And now onto the story.

A short summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

Warnings: M for future chapters. It won't be anything extreme, but I just thought I'd warn you guys.

I'm going to say this once, right here at the very beginning of the very first chapter so I don't have to repeat it:

I DO _NOT_ OWN HARRY POTTER AND/OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I AM MAKING ABSOLUTELY _NO_ PROFIT OFF OF THIS STORY. IT IS MERELY HERE FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. And to stop the plot bunny slowly gnawing away at my brain.

That is all.

And now to the first chapter!

* * *

><p>It was a cold and rainy evening with menacing clouds hanging low over London; the wind howled through the rafters of each of the houses, and rain fell down from the sky like miniature bombs that impacted with the pavement and rooftops. If a normal person were to walk through the streets of London, they would be able to see windows upon windows lit up with warm light, families sitting behind those rain-streaked glass panes together in their living room watching television or in the dining room enjoying a warm meal. There was nothing out of the ordinary. At least not to the Muggle eye.<p>

If a witch or a wizard were to be wandering the streets in the pouring rain, for whatever god forsaken reason, they would have noticed one house in particular standing out in a small side street that was invisible to the non-magical folk, the Muggles. Said house was peculiar in more ways than one. It was almost completely black and looked as if it would collapse if the wind blew any harder. The sides and rafters creaked ominously because of the heavy storm.

Those were not the only things that made the house stand out from the rest of the houses in the alley. All of the other houses had at least one well lit window, while the house in question was completely dark. If someone didn't know better, they would think it was completely deserted, left to crumble and wear away over time.

But that was not the case. The house was most definitely inhabited. The neighbors never saw the woman who supposedly lived in the black house in that small side street, and many of them began to doubt if it wasn't just a rumor that was going around. Surely if the person living inside that old house was who the rumors said she was, someone would have seen her? The neighbors had tried to catch a glimpse of the mysterious neighbor many times, and some even reported having seen the woman holding back one of the many black curtains that covered all of the windows, only to quickly pull it back into place when she felt eyes watching her, but no one could confirm the identity of said person. Truth be told, the rumors were true. The woman living, no _hiding_, in that house was none other than the brown-haired ex-best friend of the savior of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter. She was Hermione Granger.

Now, my dear readers, if you are asking yourself why in the world Ms. Granger would be hiding from the entire world in his house, the house she had inherited from Mr. Potter, who had inherited it from his godfather, Sirius Black when he died, it is quite easy to understand why you would wonder that. You see, the predicament the young woman found herself in was very private and weighed the poor girl down. She suffered; not only because of one, simple reason or event, but because of a multitude of things that had transpired over the seventeen years of her life. But you shall find out when and why and all the other questions you are surely asking in your pretty little head soon enough. Let's get back to the story.

It was a rainy day in London, and in that particularly dreary looking house where not a single light was burning from either a candle or an electric light bulb, Hermione Granger was sat in the far corner of the living room staring off into space. No one would have seen her unless they had intently stared into the heavy shadows that concealed her from view. Even if anyone had seen her, they probably wouldn't have recognized her; over the many months she had spent locked up in her own home, she hadn't bothered to worry about her appearance. Her long, brown hair was as messy and as frizzy as ever, hanging all the way down her back. She definitely looked much, much older than the seventeen year old she was. She had dark bags under her eyes which always seemed to be glazed over, bloodshot and staring at something in another, far away dimension. If one were able to look into her mind and read her thoughts, they would have found nothing.

Hermione Granger had perfected the art of not thinking, as ironic as that may seem. She had always been the brightest person anyone had ever known; the girl had been rather proud of her reputation as 'the Know-It-All'.

Minutes (or was it hours?) later, a sharp tapping on the window alerted Hermione of her daily owl. It had become natural for her to sit in the corner of the living room staring into nothings, surrounded by silence and cobwebs, until the owl would come tapping on her window, delivering a letter everyday, always written by the same person.

Like a robot, Hermione stiffly stood up, ignoring the pain and stiffness in her muscles as she slowly treaded over to the window. With expert movements Hermione pulled the curtain back, opened the window, dragged the owl inside, shut the window, and pulled the curtain back into place all within the time span of less than a second. She was aware of the curiosity the neighbors openly showed towards her, though of course they didn't know it was _her_.

The girl's mind started working slowly, telling her that if the neighbors did happen to find out it was Hermione Granger living in the house of Sirius Black, they would surely form an angry mob, pitchforks, torches, and all, and kill her. She definitely deserved it, she thought with a pang of heartache as guilt washed over her, threatening to drown her. Quickly taking the letter from the owl, she put the owl back outside quickly and crumbled to the floor, trying to control the sobs wracking through her body, threatening to tear down the wall she had built in defense of what had happened…

_He's gone… he's dead. All because of me, if I hadn't-_ She cut herself off right there. There was no way in Hell she would allow those painful memories that ached to get out of the cage Hermione had them locked away in in her mind to overtake her and drive her completely insane. She was beginning to doubt she could even be considered moderately sane.

Shaking her head, she suddenly got up, strode over to the other end of the room and dropped the unopened letter onto the pile of other unopened letters that she had started several months ago and was now a very big heap in the otherwise empty room; all the letters were from the same owl, the same author. She turned to stride into the kitchen. She needed a distraction, even if that distraction was trying to find something different to eat, that wasn't the same thing she'd been eating for months on end, though she knew from failed attempts that it was a lost cause.

Half an hour later Hermione Granger sat at the kitchen table, drinking tap water and eating canned kidney beans with a side of stale crackers. She hated to admit it, but she had lost a lot of weight over the past eight months, living off of food that could survive a nuclear holocaust, including but not limited to Twinkies and a wide variety of canned foods.

Hermione sighed. She was lonely. It had been eight months since she had come into contact with another human being. After eight months of sitting on the floor in the living room everyday, most of those days spent in a half-daze similar to a coma, she was sure she wouldn't know how to act in society if she ever decided to venture outside of the walls of her house again. The youth was absolutely certain that if she should muster up the strength to walk out into the street, she would be hexed and killed on the spot.

_Maybe being killed wouldn't be so bad?_ Hermione thought, eyes stinging with tears that wouldn't come. A few seconds after she buried her head in her hands with guilt. Life was a precious thing, and she shouldn't just throw it away. There were so many people who had died who had expected to grow old with their beloved by their side. But no, life was not fair. Life was merciless, cruel.

Most of all, life had robbed her of everything she had held dear, her dignity and reputation included. There was no way she could ever return to the life she had once lead. She could never return to the world of magic she had come to love, because-

Hermione growled mentally, scaring the thoughts and memories threatening to escape back into their respective cages. She suddenly felt surrounded. The walls of the kitchen were closing in on her. She needed to get out.

Scrambling out of the room, she ran down the hall, not realizing where she was running to until she nearly collided with the closed door at the end of the hall. She gulped, glancing over her back as if she was about to be caught doing something utterly unforgiveable. Hermione reached one of her hands up to the doorknob, before quickly retracting it and bolting away, terrified. She ran until she reached the safe sanctuary of her little corner on the floor in the living room. She curled into a ball and wept the hardest she had wept in several days.

_GO AWAY!_ She shrieked at her feelings. She hated the guilt. She hated the pain, the loss, the heartache, the emptiness and lonliness.

"Go away," she whispered out loud brokenly.

_Merlin, just let me die,_ Hermione lost is and wept harder. _Please, let me die._

A sudden noise at the front door caused her to freeze. The sudden sound of a quiet but forced entry made her heart stop. As a single pair of footsteps began to sneak down the hall, pausing outside of the living room, Hermione was certain that her plea had been heard.

The only thought that crossed her mind as a sudden flash of lightning from the storm outside gave Hermione a perfect view of the intruder's silhouette, making the terrified girl hold her breath was: _Oh Merlin, I don't want to die._

* * *

><p>I'd love to know what you think! If you like it, please let me know with a review so I know if I should post &amp; write some more! :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

First encounter between Severus Snape and Hermione Granger! :D

Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

Warnings: M for future chapters.

* * *

><p><em>Oh Merlin, I don't want to die, <em>Hermione stared wide-eyed at the silhouette standing in the doorway to the living room. _Please, I take back what I said. I don't want to die!_

Her survival instincts were beginning to kick in, and Hermione's mind was racing, trying to figure out a way out of her current predicament. After a few seconds of pondering her limited options, she made up her mind.

The intruder stalked into the room silently. Hermione shrank back into the shadows of the corner of the living room, praying she wouldn't be seen. The brown-haired girl stared intently at the silhouette, waiting for the perfect moment to move. Breathing as quietly as possible, Hermione crouched in the shadows, ready to pounce out the door. Observing the intruder closely, she noticed he was wearing a hood, making it impossible to discern any of his features. He was relatively tall, taller than she was, and had a fairly muscular build; Hermione doubted she could physically overpower him.

The young woman saw her opening when the man turned to face the other end of the room, slowly walking over to the pile of letters he had noticed. Quickly and quietly she stood up, bracing herself for what she was about to do. When the intruder was only several feet away from the pile, she made a run for it. Hermione was all too aware of the way the intruder suddenly turned around and ran after her, having heard the sudden creaking of floorboards and pounding footsteps near the door. She was glad that she had always been a fast runner. Running down the hallway, she refused to look over her shoulder; she could hear the hooded man running after her and sense his threatening presence.

Nearing the end of the hallway Hermione had stood at earlier, she pushed herself faster, reaching the door and throwing the door open. Bounding inside, she slammed the door shut behind her, locking the door. She hoped and prayed that the man was just a normal Muggle, not a wizard. Facing the room, she took a deep breath. She had vowed never to enter this room ever again.

Recomposing herself a split second later, she stumbled across the room and opened the trunk that had been carelessly thrown onto the floor, rummaging through the old books and robes, finally finding what she had been looking for: her old wand and enchanted, bottomless bag.

Standing up, Hermione froze when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone slamming something heavy and sharp against the old wooden door. As a second violent attack slammed into the opposite side of the door, Hermione heard the unmistakable sound of splintering wood. Spinning around, she pointed her wand at the door shakily.

"_Alohomora_," her voice was barely a whisper. The door unlocked and slowly opened. Pointing her want unsteadily at the figure standing outside the door that was holding a heavy axe, she stifled a shriek as he began a slow advance towards her. Glancing around the room in desperate search for an exit, she finally decided to do the one thing she had vowed she wouldn't, apart from entering the room she was currently cornered in: use magic.

"_Stupefy!" _Hermione fired off the first spell that came to mind. Gulping as she watched the now frozen figure crash to the ground with a loud thump, she made a run for the door. Taking a deep breath, she jumped over the figure, heart beating loudly in her ears. When her feet hit the ground in the hallway she took off running back towards the living room. She didn't know what possessed her to do so, but she flung herself into the room and began scooping the pile of letters into her bottomless bag.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder if the pile was really this enormous, or if it was just her imagination or some form of magic used for psychological torture causing said pile to seem endless. As she scooped up the last letter, she stood up quickly and turned to head out of the door, certain she had to escape the house.

The young witch's eyes widened immeasurably when she noticed the intruder standing just a few yards away, wand pointed steadily at her.

_He's a wizard?_ Hermione panicked. There was no way she could defeat a strong wizard. Her strength had never been battle, but rather the strategy and planning behind the scenes.

As her attacker's wand began to move in a familiar, threatening manner, Hermione's eyes widened, realizing just exactly what spell he was casting.

"_Sectumsempra,_" just as the dark light left the wand, Hermione dove to the side.

She screamed; Hermione had been hit. It was only one wound across her midsection, but it hurt like Hell as blood began to gush from it.

_Shit,_ Hermione whimpered in pain. Gathering herself momentarily, she turned towards the figure slowly looming closer towards her.

"C_onfundo,_" Hermione whispered, grimacing in pain. Even with Death threatening her, she couldn't bring herself to kill the man who attacked her in her home. Scrambling up off the floor with much effort, Hermione nearly doubled over in pain, flinching and wrapping an arm tightly around her wound, which was still bleeding profusely.

"_Episkey_," she managed to whisper, taking in a deep breath of relief when she felt the wound becoming smaller and almost stop bleeding completely. Stumbling across the dusty floor of her living room, nearly falling several times in the process, and effectively evading the now confused intruder randomly wandering around the room, Hermione made it to the front door.

When she realized she had her hand on the front door to her house for the first time in eight months, she shrunk back. There would have been no way that she would leave the safety of the Black house under any other circumstance. Had the man now wandering aimlessly throughout the house not broken in, she would probably still be sitting in her corner doing and thinking absolutely nothing.

The girl froze. Who was the intruder and why did he break in? Had he known that it was her, Hermione Granger, inhabiting the odd house? What had he been looking for?

Before she could drive herself over the edge of insanity, she made a run for it. Ignoring the panic exploding through her body, Hermione ripped the front door open and ran.

Yes, my dear readers; she ran.

And ran.

And ran.

But for what reasons? Ms. Granger was not only running from the man who had destroyed her feeling of safety in her own home and greatly injured her, but also from the memories that were beginning to emerge from their cages.

Hermione cried, but didn't hear her sobs over the wind, thunder, and the pounding of her own pulse in her ears. The tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision and making her trip and stumble several times.

_I killed him. I killed him. I killed him._ It was like an ominous mantra she kept chanting to herself. She swore that she could see him floating in front of her and glaring at her accusingly.

"_You let me die,"_ she could hear his pained whisper hitting her with the wind. Hermione didn't know where she was or where she was going. She was thankful that it was the middle of the night and that no one was walking or driving around. No angry mobs to deal with tonight.

The brunette's mind was in overdrive. The guilt was pulsing through her veins, continuing to gather in her chest right beside her heart. It was her fault that he had died. He had died all because of her. Hermione Granger had killed him, effectively scaring the only other person she had held dear in the Wizarding World away when he saw his best friend's corpse.

Hermione Granger had effectively killed Ronald Weasley and driven Harry Potter away from her.

And as if that hadn't been enough, fate decided to continue stomping on her with the death of her parents. Just three days after the Ron's death, Hermione's parents had been brutally murdered. The case hadn't been solved, and the killer was still lurking around. Everyone, Hermione included, suspected the Grangers' deaths were the work of a Death Eater.

A thought rushed through her head. What if the intruder was the same person who murdered her parents? Anger began coursing through her veins. Why hadn't she killed the bastard when she had the chance?

Another thought pushed all the anger away and replaced it with cold, stark fear. What if her spell had already worn off and said intruder was running after her, intent on finishing the work he had started and killing off the last Granger?

Ignoring the burning of her lungs and the complaining of her muscles, Hermione pushed herself to run faster. Down the unfamiliar streets and narrow alleyways she ran, fearing for her life and wondering somewhere along the way if she had left her sanity back in her house. She was sure she could hear the sound of pounding footsteps chasing after her. At times she was certain that she could feel the disgusting sensation of the wizard so close behind her that he was breathing down her neck.

It seemed like hours later that she stumbled around the corner of another narrow alley, identical to all of the other narrow alleys in the outskirts of London. Hermione slipped in a puddle and tripped over a brick laying in the way, causing her to crash to the ground painfully. Stifling a scream in pain as she felt the wound on her stomach opening from the impact with the concrete ground, she lay there, trying to find the strength to get up.

_I deserve this_, she thought miserably. She had been responsible for Ron's death, so she deserved to die this painful death, didn't she? Hermione's frizzled mind half-nodded in agreement. Finding just enough strength to drag herself over to the side of one of the buildings towering over the alleyway, the seventeen year old propped herself against the wall.

Before Hermione could stop them, the terrible memories she had been keeping locked away for months flashed before her eyes.

Her wand pointing, intent on killing.

Hermione's view of Ron as he fell, blood pouring from his wounds, in front of her.

Harry standing behind the murderer, staring at her wide-eyed.

Harry's screams of insanity before he ran away.

Reassuring words from acquaintances and Ron's family.

The dead looks on her parent's faces that were smeared with blood as she entered her house looking for refuge and love.

Screaming as she discovered the message on the wall written in her parent's blood.

"NO!"Hermione shrieked aloud, sending the rest of the thoughts and the details and other memories that went with them back into their cages. Sobs escaped her lips, shudders wracked her fragile figure sitting on the ground, and tears streamed down her face.

She fell into an uneasy daze, staring off into the distance, not realizing she was whimpering and whispering things.

Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was making his way through the streets of London, ignoring the pouring rain and wind howling all around him. He wore his trademark scowl, grateful that no other living soul was insane enough to walk around at this time of night during this kind of weather.

His mind was going over the things he had just witnessed happen to the poor Muggles Voldemort had decided to kidnap and torture. He repressed a shudder; he had become partially immune to the horrors of being a Death Eater, a servant of the Dark Lord. Snape was too exhausted and his nerves were too frayed (though he displayed none of this to the world) to report to Dumbledore tonight about what he had seen. Turning the familiar corner of an alleyway he always used to walk home, since he hated apparating with a passion, he froze midstride.

There, lying on the ground in a fetal position, whispering and whimpering indiscernible things and completely soaked to the bone, was someone he had never expected to stumble upon anywhere outside of Hogwarts: Hermione Granger.

"Granger?" Snape asked, his voice betraying some of the shock and worry he felt. When he got no response, he slowly advanced.

Cursing the darkness that made it impossible to see what was wrong and why she wasn't replying, he took out his wand.

"_Lumos_." Snape was taken aback by what he saw under the light of his wand. Hermione Granger lie there on the ground by the wall, curled up into a ball, eyes wide yet non-seeing, whispering.

"I killed him. I killed him."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but Snape understood the words clearly now that he was standing right above her. Peering left and right down the alleyway, making sure that no Muggles were stalking about, he crouched down and placed a hand on Ms. Granger's shoulder. He froze when his eyes fell upon her arm wrapped tightly around her midsection. That was when he noticed the slowly forming pool of blood underneath her small figure.

Holding his breath, he slowly, gently pried the girl's arm away from the wound that was hidden beneath it. The Potions Master's eyes widened when he saw the shredded fabric of her shirt revealing a severe cut that had already been healed some with the use of a weak healing spell.

Severus Snape had definitely seen worse injuries in his life, but he had only once treated injuring caused by his own spell before. His mind flashed back to the previous year when that imbecile Potter had nearly killed Draco Malfoy by using the same exact spell on him.

Quickly reacting out of instinct, Snape began to heal his student's wound. How she had only been injured on his stomach, he had no clue. He'd have to ask her when she was capable of coherent speech and sensible conversation.

That was when a thought hit him. What if she wasn't just physically wounded? She could probably be called insane, judging by the way she was curled up in a fetal position in the pouring rain muttering something about having killed somebody.

Shaking his head, the black-haired man concentrated on the task at hand: healing Ms. Granger's stomach wound. Everything else would have to wait till a later time. After what seemed like hours, although it was merely a minute, Snape straightened some and decided to try addressing Hermione again.

"Miss Granger," Snape called her name in the same nasal and uninterested voice he used during Potions class. When he received no answer or sign of acknowledgement, he tried again, more urgently this time.

"_Miss Granger._"

Still no reply.

Eyebrows creased in frustration, Severus Snape did the only thing he would do. Gathering his strength, he bent down closer to Hermione Granger and picked her up in his arms, not thinking about the blood and filth that were now being smeared across his robes. Concentrating, he took a deep breath, disapparating.

The white waiting room at St. Mungo's suddenly became very quiet as Severus Snape appeared out of nowhere.

The Potions Master glared and huffed in frustration.

"Quit bloody standing around like you'd just been confounded! Would one of you insolent half-wits get a Healer? Miss Granger would greatly appreciate it," Snape sneered sarcastically.

* * *

><p>I promise you that Hermione didn't kill Ron. Really.<p>

Other than that I won't reveal anything else.

Please review, you'd make my day!

I was surprised to see several people already on alert for this story after less than 24 hours since posting the first chapter.

Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

* * *

><p>Severus Snape sat in Miss Granger's private hospital room, letting his dark eyes wander around the sterile white room for the umpteenth time. Glancing out the window at the end of the room, he saw the beginnings of sunset appearing on the horizon.<p>

It had taken the shocked occupants of St. Mungo's waiting room several seconds to reply. The bumbling dunderheads had finally realized the severity of the condition of the young woman he had been holding and gotten a Healer as quickly as possible. The female Healer had asked him many questions, none of which he could answer. All he had been able to tell her was that he had found her in an alleyway somewhere in Muggle-London, muttering nonsense, unresponsive, and injured.

Taking a deep breath Snape leaned his head back against the wall behind the chair he had been sitting on beside Hermione Granger's bed. He hadn't gotten any sleep yet, and was struggling to stay away. The Death Eater meeting he had been at had put his nerves on edge and exhausted him both physically and mentally. A minute later he was fast asleep.

The first thing that Hermione became aware of was the intense throbbing in her head. Clenching her eyes shut tighter, she hoped she could fall back into unconsciousness or sleep, whichever she had been in just a minute ago. Inhaling deeply when she realized she wasn't falling back asleep or passing out again, she slowly let her eyes flutter open. They were itchy and red from crying, so she tried to reach up and rub them but nearly panicked when she realized there was an IV attacked to her wrist.

Quickly glancing around the room, she realized that she wasn't in her corner or bedroom in her house, but rather what looked like a hospital room. She nearly screamed when she saw the black figure in the chair next to her bed. Shutting her mouth, eyes wide, she realized who the sleeping figure was: her Potions Professor, Severus Snape.

_What the hell is Snape doing in my hospital room? What am _I_ doing in a hospital room?_ Racking her brain, Hermione's brain finally spewed the details of the night before. The intruder, using magic, escaping from her own safe-haven, running through London, and eventually tripping and succumbing to the insanity that she had locked away for months upon months. Shuddering at the memories and shutting her eyes to block the thoughts out, she never noticed how she began to hyperventilate and clutch the bed sheets furiously. She also failed to notice the Potions Master stirring next to her.

"Miss Granger!" Snape's usual sarcastic tone was nowhere to found. In its place was a sincere alarm and worry. Sitting up quickly, he reached over to the girl and tried pushing her back down onto the bed so she was lying flat again. When she showed no reaction whatsoever, he felt panic burbling up in his chest. Jumping up, he strode out the door quickly to search a Healer.

"I need a Healer in Miss Granger's room, _now_," he shouted, glowering as he hurried down the hall.

"Excuse me, no shouting in the-"

"You moron! I need a Healer," he growled at the man who poked his head out of one of the many rooms connected to the hallway. After what seemed like several minutes three Healers stumbled towards him from the other end of the small corridor.

"About time," he snarled, turning to hurry back to Hermione's room, robe flowing behind him.

After the Healers had managed to calm the young witch down enough to get her to lie down and unclench her hands from the sheets, they administered a Calming Draught and left the room, telling Snape to get one of them if she began to act strangely again.

_No,_ he thought sarcastically. _I'll let her hurt herself._

Severus couldn't help but wonder what had happened to cause the incredibly bright witch to loose it like that.

"P-professor?" Said professor was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the choked whisper coming from the hospital bed.

"Talking now, I see, Miss Granger?" He spoke with a hint of sarcasm. Hermione looked away, eyebrows furrowing. She tried to speak again, but when nothing came out, she turned to look intently at Snape again.

Realizing that she must have been extremely thirsty, he grabbed his wand from his pocket, took an empty vase from the bedside table and transfigured it into a glass.

"_Aguamenti_." Snape handed the girl the now full glass of water.

"Thank you, Sir," she said after she had downed the drink. The Potions Master just nodded. Sighing in frustration Hermione gathered her strength and began to sit up in the hospital bed.

"Lie back down, Miss Granger. You will end up irritating your wound if you do not," Snape instructed, his serious eyes staring into her soft brown ones intently. Not bothering to object, she slowly lay back down, eyes wandering to her bandaged stomach.

"What happened?" Hermione's voice was barely a whisper, but Snape's alert ears heard her.

"I could ask you the same question, Miss Granger. I found you lying in an alley in Muggle-London, drenched in rain and blood, seriously injured by the spell I myself created, and muttering incoherent nonsense and unresponsive. I brought you here to St. Mungo's so that you could be properly healed and inspected. I was hoping that you could tell me more about what happened," Severus' stern eyes bore intently into the witch's.

Hermione stared back at Snape for a second. She didn't know if she could deal with telling him what had happened without fear of breaking down halfway through the story. Shaking her head at him and clenching her eyes shut, she bit her lip to keep it from quivering.

Snape exhaled in frustration. There was no use getting his feathers all ruffled over Granger, so why was he even bothering with her? He had done what he could consider his duty as a gentleman, even though the world would have scoffed at the ideas of Severus Snape having gentlemanly morals and manners, by getting her to St. Mungo's, so why was he sitting here in her hospital room?

The black haired Death Eater kept telling himself that it was because she was his student and it was his duty to protect the students. Yes, that was it. She was his student of six, soon to be seven, years. Also, she was one of the Golden Trio, a future savior of the Wizarding World; but that point had been void since Weasley's death. Maybe it was just his humanity.

_Yeah, my humanity_, he scoffed.

Taking a deep breath and creasing his eyebrows, he realized just how much harder it was going to be to win the war. With the ginger gone and a missing Potter and half-sane and injured Granger it seemed like there was no hope, no light at the end of the tunnel. As the world was slowly crumbling around him he noticed just how much of a senile old bastard he had become. His frown deepened when he realized just how long his heart had been bitter.

_I guess Dumbledore lied_, Snape thought glummily of his only confidant and, if he dare say so, friend. _No redemption for fools like myself_.

Hermione Granger lay in her hospital bed staring at the ceiling, guilt eating away at her chest. She regretted not answering the Professor earlier; talking might have helped. She was eternally grateful to the Potions Master for finding her and saving her life the night before.

The guilt eating away at her wasn't just guilt about not speaking with Severus Snape, but also for the same reasons she'd been devoured by the insanity and guilt the night before. She blamed herself for the deaths of Ronald Weasley and her parents. She blamed herself for Harry Potter's disappearance. That was more than enough guilt to make any normal person to crumble and welcome insanity.

But not Hermione Granger. No, not Hermione. She hadn't let the insanity really take root until last night, and now she was determined to fight it back. It was going to be a long hard road, and she doubted she'd have any help from anyone since all her loved ones had died and disappeared. The teenage witch swore that she would start being more optimistic and stop blaming herself for everything bad that befell the world. With that thought she fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

Several hours later, Severus Snape was awoken when the door to the hospital room was flung open carelessly.

"Have some respect for the sleeping patients, you insolent halt-wits," he sneered, surprising the hoard of people who had just stormed into the room.

Snape quirked an eyebrow when he recognized several people from the Improper Use of Magic Office from the Ministry of Magic.

"Severus Snape," a short man nodded curtly at him. Not bothering to think of the moron's name, he just nodded at him before asking what he was doing in Miss Hermione Granger's hospital room.

"I could ask you the same thing, Mister Snape," the man sternly said. "We have come to inquire about why Miss Granger used Magic late last night and early this morning. We got a report that she used all of the following last night within a two hour span of time: Alohomora, Stupefy, Confundo, and Episkey."

"Well, if you haven't noticed," Severus drawled in his usual sarcastic and uninterested voice, "Miss Granger is currently asleep and recovering from a serious injury. But guessing that you work for the Ministry like the bunch of dimwits you are, I wouldn't be surprised if your perfect eyesight failed to noticed that _tiny_ detail."

The people from the Improper Use of Magic Office scowled and glared at the Potions Master.

"Do watch your tongue, sir," One of the men in the back who was either brave enough to talk back to the sharp tongued man or too stupid to know who he was sneered.

"Why don't you tell us why you are here, Snape?" Another one of them asked, glaring.

"It would be my pleasure," Severus resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the idiots who called themselves part of the Ministry. What was the world coming to?

"I was taking a leisurely stroll through Muggle-London last night and happened upon poor Miss Granger lying in an empty alley bleeding profusely," Snape decided to keep out the part about her mumbling incoherent nonsense; he was kind enough to keep other people's business private and didn't want Miss Granger waking up to the Daily Prophet claiming she was a nut.

"At 2:00 A.M.?" One of the men raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, I'm surprised you haven't heard of my being a bat. Even the _children_ at Hogwarts have figured it out and call me the 'Dungeon Bat'." Ah, sweet sarcasm.

Severus' legendary sarcasm seem to irritate the men further.

"We'll be back to talk to Miss Granger later," without another word the group turned and strode out the door, ignoring the snide remark of 'It's been a pleasure' coming from Snape.

It still amazed Severus after a few decades of life how many idiots were walking the earth. How they hadn't all been killed off was a mystery to him.

Snape snapped out of his thoughts of the annoying creatures too dumb to be considered human beings when the door opened again. Expecting more pawns from the Ministry, he set his face in his best glare. His expression quickly turned to surprise when he saw Albus Dumbledore walk into the room with a half-smile on his face.

"Hello, Severus," the oh-so-familiar twinkle in his eyes making Snape's stomach roll in disgust. How could that old coot be so merry all the time? They were at war.

"What do I deserve the pleasure to, Albus?" He quirked an eyebrow. Why would the Headmaster of Hogwarts come visit him? And how did he even know he was at St. Mungo's in the first place? The Potions Master decided not to dwell on those questions, deciding he might find the answers rather disturbing.

"Well, since you failed to report back to me last night I went out looking for you."

Oh, right. Severus had been so caught up in helping little Miss Hermione Granger that he had totally forgotten to inform Dumbledore of the events of the latest Death Eater meeting. The Headmaster's eyes wandered over to Hermione's sleeping figure and walked over to the bed.

"What happened to her, Severus?" He asked, his old eyes clouding with sincere worry.

"I honestly do not have the slightest idea. I found her in an alley early this morning and brought her here," the black haired man had a feeling he was going to be reciting the same story in his sleep before too long.

Nodding silently, the white haired man turned his attention back to Severus.

"Now we need to discuss what happened last night before you found Miss Granger," the old man's eyes turned dark and haunted. Quickly taking out his wand he placed the most advanced of silencing charms around the room so that no one could overhear or eavesdrop on the top secret conversation. If anyone were to leak that Severus Snape was not who he pretended to be the entire plan to win the war would fail miserably.

Hermione listened with horror, faking to still be asleep, as she heard Professor Snape telling Headmaster Dumbledore about last night's Death Eater meeting.

_Professor Snape is a Death Eater?_ Hermione had thought at first, struggling to keep her breath calm and relaxed so she didn't draw attention to herself. After a few more minutes of intent listening, she couldn't help but let the shock of the whole situation sink in.

He was a spy for the Light? He was one of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters? Those thoughts all went to the back of her mind when she began to hear the details of the meeting. Hermione could only imagine what the screams of the poor Muggles and Muggleborns that had been tortured literally into insanity and then killed would sound like. Trying to internally compose herself, she didn't realize that the two other occupants of the room had become deathly silent and rested their gazes on her "sleeping" figure.

"Miss Granger, if you are going to eavesdrop by pretending to be asleep at least have the sense enough to breathe and not clench your eyes," Albus Dumbledore said softly. Not knowing how to react, Hermione opened up her eyes and blushed in embarrassment. She had been caught red-handed.

Severus Snape was sending her the most malicious death glare she had ever seen.

"Albus!" he fought to keep his cool composure, "She knows! What are we going to _do_ if she tells someone? She'll be the reason we'll all die!"

Those words hit Hermione like a bomb, shattering her all over again. It was all her fault, and now it was going to be all her fault again.

"Now, now, Severus. Calm down. She won't tell anyone," Dumbledore's eyes softened as he looked at the shaking form of the girl in the hospital bed in front of him who was trying not to break down in front of him and Professor Snape.

"We will figure out what to do about this… development later." After telling Snape to stay with Hermione until she was ready to leave St. Mungo's and then bring her to him at Hogwarts, the Headmaster nodded his goodbye and disapparated.

_Meddling Mudbloods_, Severus sneered. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the last person he had called a Mudblood. Throwing that pain back to the depths of his soul where it belonged he turned and strode out the door intent of catching some fresh air and getting something to eat.

Life was cruel. That was the one fact that Snape had always been able to confirm and logically grasp throughout his entire measly life. It was a known fact to the Professor that he did indeed hate his life.

* * *

><p>I must say I'm rather proud of this chapter. I don't know why, but I like it, even though it's not exactly what you'd consider <em>eventful<em>.

Please leave a review and make my day! :D


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

I'm sorry it took so long for me to update this time. I was extremely busy all week and gone all weekend, so I didn't really have time to write.

I should be updating at least two more times this week.

After this week it's back to school, and probably only one update a week. The summer can't seem to come fast enough.

Before I move on, I feel the need to thank all the wonderful people who are reading and reviewing. I'm amazed that so many people already have this story on Alert and/or Favourited. It's nice to know there are people actually reading! Thank you!

**Please take a minute to review at the end.**

And now on to the chapter...

* * *

><p>Snape hated that he had agreed to stay with Miss Granger until she was able to sign her release forms and leave the hospital with him for Hogwarts. It would have been hard enough to sit by her beside patiently if he hadn't been in dire need of sleep. It had been nearly thirty-six hours since he had slept, but he couldn't get any rest whatsoever at the hospital because of the annoying Ministry dogs who kept bothering him and still-unconscious Hermione. Most of the Potion Master's time by Miss Granger's bedside was spent scowling and pondering why on earth he was still sitting there.<p>

He didn't hate the know-it-all Gryffindor, but she definitely annoyed him to no end. Frankly, he was quite surprised that Weasley and Potter had put up with her for almost seven years. That thought triggered another, which lead to another, which eventually lead to sullenly wondering what Hogwarts was going to be like without Weasley and Potter. It would be the first year when the Golden Trio wouldn't be present. If all went well and Hermione recovered fast enough, both physically as well as mentally, she would be starting the new school year, Granger's seventh and senior year, with the rest of the students in two weeks.

Severus was growing more and more irate with every passing minute that he spent sitting in the sterile hospital room. Finally he stood up and paced the room impatiently, eyebrows furrowed. He was deep in thought about the problem that Hermione Granger would pose once she woke up, in all likelihood still clearly remembering the conversation she had so graciously eavesdropped on earlier. The Potions Master was frustrated not only at Dumbledore and Granger, but also at himself for not being cautious enough and forgetting to cast a muffling charm on him and the Headmaster so that Hermione wouldn't overhead their conversation, which she had ended up doing.

While mentally berating himself for his thoughtless incompetence, he failed to notice the bed ridden witch beginning to flutter her eyes. His survival instinct which had kept him alive for the past almost twenty years kicked in at lightning speed however when the bed sheets crumpled, alerting him of Miss Granger's current state of consciousness.

Instead of bidding her a good morning, he simply glared at her with his trademark scowl. Perhaps his scowl was even more defined and threatening than usually considering the conversation the witch had eavesdropped on.

Hermione took a breath to say something.

"The Headmaster informed me that I am to take you to his office in Hogwarts when you awake. Seeing as that you are awake enough to want to stare at me, I am going to get the papers that will allow you to leave with me," Severus didn't give Hermione a chance to speak before he stood up swiftly and strode out the door, robes billowing behind him.

The Potions Professor's absence gave the brown haired woman her much needed chance to think over and mentally analyze what she had learned. Severus Snape, the most fearsome, dark, and menacing man at Hogwarts, was a Death Eater. Considering how far fetched that was, it was not nearly as inconceivable as the fact that he was a double spy.

Severus Snape, Potions Master of nearly two decades at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, most fear man in all of Great Britain (save He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named), Death Eater and Double Spy. Hermione would have snorted with amusement if it weren't for the predicament she found herself in.

What would Dumbledore and Snape decide to do with her? Maybe Snape wasn't going to take her to Dumbledore, but kill her and dispose of her body so that no one would ever find her or know she'd gone missing in the first place? What if Snape never told a soul that he had found her in London and most likely saved her life? What if he was able to manipulate the world into thinking that she had fled the country or been murdered by a Muggle mass murderer?

Her thoughts were slowly building more and more paranoid and frantic by the second. A startled yelp escaped her lips when the door to her room was flung open rather carelessly and the dark-eyed Professor strode in, sending her resentful glares and sneers.

Shoving the release forms onto Hermione's lap, Severus headed for the door.

"I will be in the waiting room. Sign the papers and put on the clothes that have been provided for you," he didn't look back, closing the door behind him slightly louder than necessary. Hermione stared at the closed door for a moment before snapping back to reality. She was getting out of the dreaded hospital room.

After she frantically signed her own release forms, writing just legibly enough for whichever nurse would have to file the documents that day, Miss Granger swung her legs off the edge of the bed and realized that the IVs that had been attached to her arm were now, thankfully, gone. In their place was a patch of band-aids, but nothing more.

Half-jumping off the bed had been a bad idea, Hermione realized too late. She landed on her legs and immediately crumbled to the ground due to the fact that her legs felt like jelly. Slowly standing up, supporting herself on the nightstand placed next to the bed, the witch scanned the room for the clothes that Snape had said had been provided for her. Spotting them on the chair on the other side of the bed, she took cautious steps towards it so that she wouldn't fall down again.

Several minutes later, she was standing fully clothed in front of her hospital door, hesitating to step outside into the hallway and meet her Potions Professor in the waiting room. Hermione was now wearing robes that were extremely similar to her own school robes, except the crest on them wasn't Gryffindor. Instead of symbolizing just the House of Gryffindor, it symbolized all of Hogwarts with its crest, which read _Draco dormiens nunquam titallandus._ Never tickle a sleeping dragon. The robes were pitch black and surprisingly the perfect size for her.

Taking a deep breath and gathering her Gryffindor courage, Hermione opened the door and strode out into the corridor, giving anyone who saw her the image of a collected and calm, young witch. Said young witch was far from calm and collected, for mentally she was certain she was nearing the point where she would start hyperventilating. The same thoughts that had plagued her earlier were now starting to collect in her mind with a new vengeance.

It's all my fault that he's dead. What if Professor Snape is going to take me to Voldemort? Harry's gone insane and most likely fled the country because of me. What if Snape didn't just find me, but followed me? What if he was the intruder last night? What if-

Miss Granger's thoughts were cut short when she nearly collided with a tall, dark figure.

"Please watch where you are going, Miss Granger," a silky voice half-growled. Hermione hadn't realized she was already in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. She blushed a deep rouge red when she discovered she had almost run into the Potions Master.

"S-sorry," she bowed her head in embarrassment. Severus sneered down at her with disgust.

"The Headmaster will be waiting, so stop moping around like a useless mop and follow me," he turned and stalked towards one of the spots in the waiting room designated for Apparition and Disapparition. Scrambling after him she stumbled over her own feet and just barely managed to stay on her feet and not end up sprawled on the floor.

The Potions Master wondered if the insufferable Know-It-All was always this clumsy and incompetent as he held out an arm in a gentlemanly fashion, which seemed a rather outlandish gesture considering the impatient sneer on his face and the ever present menacing aura coming from the man.

Several nauseous seconds and a strange tug behind her navel later, Hermione found herself standing dizzily in front of the gates of Hogwarts. Snape seemed unaffected by apparating, much to Hermione's wonder. Instead of waiting for her world to stop spinning, he strode towards the gates, which opened with a flick of his hand.

Stumbling after him, the ground finally stopped spinning. The walk up to the castle was quiet and uneventful, save for the lonely Thestral that flew over the path in front of them about halfway through their trek. Hermione's gaze wandered over the grounds of the school she had come to know as home. After the last year, the young witch had doubted she would or could ever return to Hogwarts.

The frantic thoughts storming through her head hadn't quieted down at all since her walk down the hall at St. Mungo's; instead, they only seemed to get louder with each step she took.

He's going to drown me in the lake. Merlin, he's going to kill me.

Once they had passed the lake, her thoughts quickly morphed and changed.

He's going to turn around any moment, drag me into the Forbidden Forest, and hex me, torture me, and eventually kill me. He knows what I did. He knows it's all my fault…

Even upon entering the castle, Hermione's thoughts only became more and more paranoid and panicked.

We're going to pass the One-Eyed Witch Passage. He'll drag me into it, place a Body-Bind Hex on me and leave me to die.

Severus was growing rather irate. He had had enough of the Gryffindor brat to last him a lifetime. Why was it that it was always him, Severus Snape, who ended up having to deal with intolerable children and dunderheads? He was supposed to have the summer off from having to deal with the dimwits he taught the rest of the year.

Resisting the urge to sigh because of the pent up frustration he felt, he felt extremely relieved when he turned the last corner and saw the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office.

Hermione's heart was racing. Just a couple more steps, and then Snape wouldn't be able to kill her and get away with it. Just a couple more steps. She was almost safe…

But… What if Dumbledore wanted to have her killed as well? What if the man in his office _wasn't _Dumbledore, but rather a Death Eater who had drank Polyjuice Potion? She was most certainly going to die a painful, torturous death. Why hadn't Snape just drowned her in the Great Lake while he had the chance to do so? A small part of the logical side of her thoughts fought its way to the surface, telling she was being absurd and paranoid. The paranoid thoughts quickly overpowered her logic and pushed it back into the back of her mind.

"Lemon Drops," the young witch was vaguely aware of the black-haired professor sneering the password as though he were muttering the killing curse.

That was it! The Potions Professor would murder her with the Killing Curse! A nice clean murder, no blood… Hermione was certain that before he muttered those two highly illegal words that would cause her to drop dead after being hit by a green jet of light Snape would torture her, most likely with Crucio. Maybe he'd drive her insane first, putting her through hours upon hours of the mind-numbing pain before finally granting her the wish to die that would have left her lips countless times by then. Maybe-

"Ah, Severus, Miss Granger," Hermione's head snapped up and she realized she was standing in Dumbledore's office, safe, unharmed, and very much alive. She scanned the room quickly to make sure there were no Death Eaters hiding anywhere.

"It's good to see you again, and this time out of the hospital bed," the old man's eyes twinkled merrily. "Do have a seat. I'll be with you in a moment."

Gesturing at the two comfortable-looking chairs in front of his desk, the Headmaster stood up and walked up the stairs by his desk.

Hesitantly, Hermione took a seat in one of the chairs, rather relieved that Snape chose to lean against the bookcase behind her rather than take a seat next to her. But behind her he could easily sneak up on her and strangle her… What if that was the reason that Dumbledore left for a minute?

Before the brown-haired witch's mind had time to come up with more bizarre scenarios, the grey-haired headmaster returned sporting his usual merry expression and twinkling eyes. When he sat down behind his desk, though, that expression turned serious and the twinkling in his eyes abruptly stopped.

"Miss Granger," the Headmaster made eye contact with the young witch sitting in his office. "It is my understanding that Severus found you in London very earlier in the morning."

Hermione managed to nod.

"Would you please tell me why it is that you were wandering around during a storm badly injured?"

Hermione's mouth opened, but before she could form any kind of a reply, the memories came back, washing over her like a tidal wave.

She remembered every detail. The silhouette in the living room doorway, the race to get her wand to protect herself, being hit by _Sectumsempra_, struggling to get out of the house alive, running until she finally tripped and landed hard on the concrete in the alleyway Severus Snape had later found her in. Hermione couldn't help the flood of emotions that suddenly consumed her. Fear, guilt, helplessness, paranoia, depression, pain, and something that felt suspiciously like hate were gnawing relentlessly at her heart. Before she knew it, tears were streaking down her cheeks and her whole frame was shaking with barely contained sobs. It took every ounce of strength she had to hold herself together just enough to not completely break down and fall apart right there in front of the two men.

"Now, now," a gentle hand was place on her shoulder comfortingly. When had the Headmaster moved to stand behind her. "You don't have to tell me now, but eventually I will need to know what happened. Do you understand?"

Hermione managed to nod weakly. It was quite a relief to know that she wasn't going to be pressured into telling the story of what had happened to her right that minute. She doubted she would have been able to say anything; she had a feeling that the only thing that would have come from her lips was incoherent nonsense.

"I am assuming that you will not want to return back to your home?" Hermione was grateful for the soft tone of voice that Dumbledore used. Nodding once again, slightly more evidently this time, she confirmed his assumption.

"Then you will be staying here at Hogwarts for the time being," Hermione's head flew up; she was surprised to say the least. Staying at Hogwarts? The thought had never occurred to her.

"But-"

"No if, ands or buts," the old wizard smiled at her with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

The Potions Master's presence was forgotten until he cleared his through, catching both Hermione and Albus' attention.

"Ah, yes," the Headmaster's face grew serious once again. "Now on to the other serious matter at hand…"

Hermione shifted in her seat nervously, her heart beat rising several beats per minute in a split second. She knew what was coming.

"About the conversation between Severus and me that you overhead…"

Half an hour later Hermione was being walked to her private dorms by none other than Severus Snape, who didn't seem to enjoy the concept any more than that of cutting off his own legs. The young witch was pleased to find that most of the paranoid thoughts of Snape killing her had quieted down and were now replaced by a calm drowsiness that she associated with her pervious anxiousness and tears.

One the way to her new dorm, Hermione found herself pondering the events of the past half hour. She had ended up having to make an Unbreakable Vow with Dumbledore. The young witch was now literally unable to tell anyone that Snape was a double spy for the Light without killing herself. It hadn't been an unreasonable request, but agreeing to make an Unbreakable Vow made Hermione realize just how important Snape's job was in the War and exactly how serious said War was. It made her shudder thinking of what would happen to Severus Snape if Voldemort found out that he wasn't the loyal right-hand man everyone thought he was. Hermione didn't like the man, by all means, but she didn't like the prospect of the Potions Master being slaughtered by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Stepping onto the landing that one of the many moving staircases had brought them to, Hermione was pleased to find herself near the Gryffindor Common Room.

"You are to tell no one of your private rooms," Snape sneered as he came to a stop in front of a portrait of the Four Founders. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor greeted the duo merrily while Slytherin was sitting in a chair in the shadows of a corner and heatedly glared at Hermione whilst giving Severus suspicious glances.

Hermione managed a quick 'Yes, Sir,' before Snape could snarl at her for her slow reaction.

"_Unitas,_" the professor drawled lazily, stepping aside when the portrait opened. Hermione stepped into the portrait hole and turned around.

"Good night, Professor." He was already marching back down the staircase, robes billowing wildly behind him. Hermione found herself smiling sadly as she remembered the password to her dorms.

_Unitas_. Unity. It was lack thereof that was causing this whole mess, the whole war.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review. It doesn't take long. Just tell me one thing that you liked and one thing I could improve on.<strong>

Reviews are like candy to writers. Only better.


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

A huge thank you to all my reviewers and readers! It's incredibly motivating to see the reaction I'm getting from people with this story.

_And now on to the feature presentation..._

* * *

><p>Hermione watched the dark figure of her Potions Professor stalking down the staircase with his robes billowing behind him. She let the portrait of the Four Founders swing shut behind her as she turned to explore her new, private dorms. The young witch didn't know what she was expecting, but it most definitely wasn't this. The entire room was neutral in color, mostly shades of brown, white, and black, save for the enormous rug in the middle of what could be considered a private Common Room that held the Hogwarts crest in all its glory. She was quickly reminded that she was wearing someone else's robes; she'd need to go shopping tomorrow to get herself new robes.<p>

To Hermione's great delight, there were two huge bookshelves that had been painted black and took up the entire space of two walls overflowing with books, many of which looked old and valuable, most likely the only of their kind still in existence. She made a note to make good use of them and read them while she was staying here. On the far wall was a brick fireplace with a fire slowly flickering; two brown, comfortable-looking armchairs sat in front of it. The rest of the space in the room was taken up by various small tables that held a good many odd inventions; Hermione was reminded of Professor Dumbledore's office.

Taking slow steps around the room, she drank in every little detail. On the left side of the room was a door made of mahogany. Pushing the door open, Hermione was surprised to see a small office. She had been expecting a bedroom. The tiny room had the same color scheme as the little Common Room had. There was an elegant black desk in the middle with a matching chair sitting behind it.

A yawn escaped Hermione's lips. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own as he legs dragged her body toward the door that most likely led to the bedroom. She barely registered the huge bedroom as she dropped onto the soft mattress. Sinking into it and hugging one of the many pillows against her chest Hermione was a sleep in seconds, not even bothering to slip under the covers or change out of the robes she was wearing.

Severus Snape was awakened by a sharp pain in his arm. The Dark Lord was calling him. Quickly forgetting the fact that he had barely slept in the past couple of days, he changed into his Death Eater robes with a flick of his hand. It had taken less than a second for his brain to be completely alert. The Potions Master knew that if he were late that Voldemort would not hesitate to punish him, or any other Death Eater who had the audacity to be late, for that matter. He could sense the Dark Lord's anger through the Dark Mark and wondered what must have happened to set him off like this; it was rather unusual for him to call two meetings with his servants on two consecutive nights.

Praying to whatever cruel deity ruled over the world that he wouldn't need to perform much magic at the meeting due to his barely hidden fatigue, he strode up out of the dungeons as quickly as possible without running, eventually leaving the castle and reaching the edge of the grounds. Without a moment's hesitation, Snape disaparated and found himself outside the gates of Malfoy Manner. Passing through the gates like a ghost with a simple flick of his arm which held the Dark Mark, which was burning rather uncomfortably, the black-haired Death Eater stalked to the front door of the Manor, ignoring the white peacocks strutting around.

The huge doors opened by themselves, granting Snape unquestioned access. It took him less than a minute to navigate the Manor and reach the room where the meeting was to be held, though it normally took all of five to get there. The Dark Lord didn't wish to be humored with tardiness tonight.

"Ah, Severus," a high, hissing voice greeted him. "How nice of you to join us."

"Forgive me, My Lord," the Death Eater bowed. "I would have been here earlier had I been able to apparate here directly from my quarters at Hogwarts, but seeing as it is impossible to-"

"Yes, Severus," the red-eyed man hissed. "We all know it's impossible to apparate in and out of Hogwarts."

The Hogwarts Professor took a seat at the large table that Voldemort and the other Death Eaters were seated at. Nodding almost imperceptivity at a blonde Death Eater and his wife and son in greeting, he immediately turned his attention to the Dark Lord at the head of the table. The entire table tensed when he took a breath to begin; everyone present knew he was furious because of something that had happened.

"Yaxley," he began. "Come here."

Everyone's eyes flickered to the man in question and then back to Voldemort, as if they were scared that they would be punished for not paying attention.

"You have failed me."

"Forgive me, My-"

"Silence!" Voldemort hissed venomously. Several Death Eaters cringed, the others managed to keep an emotionless face, Severus Snape included.

"You have failed me, Yaxley," the snake-man repeated. "Was it really so hard to have Hermione Granger killed?"

A certain greasy haired Death Eater tensed almost visibly at this, but managed to keep an impassive face.

"Did I overestimate your abilities? Are you incapable of killing even a simple _Mudblood?_" the word rolled off his tongue like it would a snake's.

"No, My Lord." Voldemort sneered at him. Standing up, he raised his wand and pointed it lazily at the Death Eater who was now kneeling at his feet.

"_Crucio,_" it sounded like a simple, plainly spoken word. A single scream escape Yaxley's lips before he was able to silence himself regardless of the mind-numbing, searing pain coursing through every inch of his body. The rest of the Death Eaters sat silently in their seats, not daring to move even though they felt a searing pain of their own coming from their Dark Marks; whenever Voldemort was torturing one of their brethren Death Eaters, they felt a fraction of the pain as well. Though it was nothing close to as extreme as the full brunt of the curse, it was enough to make them want to painfully aware of what happened to the servants who displeased their master.

After several painful minutes, Voldemort reluctantly released Yaxley from the curse's unrelenting pain, not wanting to frazzle his nerves to the extent where he wouldn't be of use to him again until the next meeting.

"Tonight," the pale man turned to face his Death Eaters as he began to speak in his raspy, hissing voice once more, "We will be raiding a Muggle family who had the audacity to adopt an orphaned wizard."

Several mixed snarls of delight and disgust went through the men and women sitting at the huge table.

Several hours later, Severus Snape found himself walking back up the path towards the castle less hurriedly than he had left it. His thoughts wandered over the events of the Death Eater meeting for what seemed like the thousandth time. He had been pleasantly surprised that the Dark Lord had chosen not to punish him tonight, considering his slightly late arrival and obvious irritation with his failed plan.

The failed plan… He needed to find out more about the intruder that had intended to kill Miss Granger. The Potions Master doubted Yaxley would have be stupid enough to try and kill her himself, which left the question of who he had convinced to murder her and how. It was rather obvious why Voldemort wanted Hermione Granger dead; she had been part of the Golden Trio, which had already lost one of the members, Ronald Weasley. With Hermione gone, the only person left would be Harry Potter, from whom no one had heard anything for the past several months. He had last been sighted fleeing Hogwarts on a Thestral who had later returned…

Snape was so caught up in thought that he failed to notice a figure standing at the edge of the Great Lake until he hear an audible splashing sound caused by said figure falling into the frigid water. The Death Eater's eyes immediately snapped up to scan the surface of the water; he reached out his magic to identify the person.

Realizing who it was, he run towards the water and jumped in to save her.

_No! Ron! _Hermione screamed in her dream. _RON!_

She reached her hands out in front of her to grasp the figure that was slowly falling to the ground as if in slow motion, bleeding profusely. Just as she was about to reach him, he disappeared from between her fingers, turning into a puddle of dark, thick, red liquid. Falling to her knees, she began sobbing her friend's name into the puddle of blood.

"It's your fault," an all-too familiar voice spoke from behind her accusingly. Not wanting to turn to face her other best friend, but doing so anyways because some unknown force forced her to, Hermione tried to speak and tell him that she hadn't killed him, that it wasn't her fault, but as she turned, she shrieked when she saw that behind her was not Harry Potter, her best friend, but rather Severus Snape, her Potions Professor. He pointed his wand at her and whispered a single curse.

"_Sectumsempra_." Hermione saw the blood before she felt the pain. Struggling, she stood up and began to run. She ran for her life, not bothering to look back. The creatures from her nightmare were closing in on her; Dementors, hooded Death Eaters, Voldemort, Nagini were all chasing after her, gaining ground quickly. Slowly becoming weaker, Hermione tripped and fell, finding herself sprawled on the ground, suddenly holding the corpse that belonged to Ronald Weasley.

The corpse began to change: flesh gave way to clean, white bones; The flesh had somehow not decayed, but rather turned into blood and poured to the ground in front of her sprawled figure. Standing up, Hermione clutched her side. She should have been unconscious by now, if not dead, considering the amount of blood that she had lost and was still loosing.

Turning around to check how much time she had left before the enemy caught her, she was shocked to find herself staring into the face of none other than Harry Potter. His eyes were alight with accusations and pain, clearly stating how he felt and confirming what Hermione denied: _It was her fault_.

"No," a near-silent whisper escaped her lips as she took a step back. What had been a puddle of blood before was now a blood red ocean. She slipped and found herself falling back into the waves; they swallowed her injured body.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was Harry's face morphing into a different, familiar face with black, piercing eyes and shoulder-length, black hair.

"She is clearly in need of care. _Proper_ care. Something that only St. Mungo's can provide," a furious voice was shouting. It was giving Hermione a headache.

"Calm down, Severus," a different, more placid voice said. "The poor girl has been through so much, and-"

"And needs help," the first voice snarled, quieter this time. Hermione was aware that they were talking about her, though she couldn't fathom why. St. Mungo's? Hadn't she left the hospital just yesterday? Slowly, the witch allowed her eyes to flutter open. The first thing she noticed was the stark, white room that reminded her too much of a hospital.

"Ah, Miss Granger, it's nice to see you finally awake," a gentle, fatherly voice said. She knew those voices… That was it! She was in the Hospital Wing with Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

But why? She couldn't remember for the life of her.

"Severus here saved you from drowning in the Great Lake last night. Would you mind telling me what it was that a bright witch like yourself was doing at the Great Lake in the middle of the night?" Great Lake? When had she been at the Great Lake?

"She _clearly_ doesn't remember," Snape sneered.

"It would seem so," the Headmaster said when Hermione didn't reply. She lay in the bed in the Hospital Wing feeling overwhelming emotions of shame and guilt, but not remembering why she was feeling them.

"Miss Granger, I will be giving you a Dreamless Draught so that you can sleep through what is left of the night," Hermione just managed a weak nod at the old man standing at the edge of the bed, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

Several minutes later, Hermione found herself slowly nodding off to pleasant sleep thanks to the freshly brewed Dreamless Draught, courtesy of the Potions Master.

Severus had left the second Dumbledore had taken the vial that contained the potion, stalking to his quarters in the dungeons, putting up unnecessarily strong wards to keep everyone out of his rooms until he had caught up on all the sleep he had missed.

Before retiring for the night, Dumbledore left Madam Pomfrey a note telling her to meet him in his office when she woke up to talk about Miss Granger and her current condition.

The following morning, Poppy found herself awake earlier than usual and walked out of her quarters to find the note from Albus lying on her desk. Quickly reading it, she hurried out of her office to check Hermione's vitals before going to meet with the Headmaster.

Walking briskly through the halls of a student-less Hogwarts, Poppy found herself wondering when Miss Granger had arrived at the castle.

Muttering the password to Albus' office, she promptly marched up the stairs and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice said cheerily.

"Good morning, Albus," the Mediwitch began as she strode in the room, waving her want to close the door behind her as she walked up to the Headmaster's desk. "I want an explanation as to why Miss Granger is in the Hospital Wing, considering the school year hasn't even begun yet."

"I know, Poppy," Dumbledore's expression turned serious at once. "Take a seat, it's a rather long story. Lemon drop?"

The woman shook her head. The man sighed before continuing.

"Miss Granger is in an unstable condition at the moment, psychologically. She has suffered the loss of both of her best friends, her parents, and, I fear, part of her sanity. She is plagued by an unrelenting guilt and depression; I fear sending her to St. Mungo's will do more harm than good. Also, considering that the reporters can get to her easier there than here, I think it is safe to assume Miss Granger would appreciate not having the world know of her unstable state of mind."

Of all the things Madam Pomfrey had expected, it was more definitely not this. Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, brains of the Golden Trio, was in her Hospital Wing teetering on the brink of insanity.

"I want you to talk with Hermione and see what you can do to make her feel better about herself. Find a way to take some of the guilt off of her shoulders. Guilt can drive even the most stable of people insane, given the right circumstances," Dumbledore paused for a moment, letting the Mediwitch absorb all the new information.

"Severus found her in London two nights ago in an alleyway, seriously injured and mumbling nonsense; she never noticed that he was there. Severus immediately apparated her into St. Mungo's and saved her life. Then, last night, he saved her from drowning by pulling her out of the Great Lake. She was asleep when he got her to shore."

Never in all her years had Madam Pomfrey been so shocked.

"Severus and I decided last night that it would be best for her if she took a Dreamless Draught. I do not want to put her on it for very long, because she will slowly grow addicted to the peaceful feeling that comes with the sleep it brings," Poppy nodded at this approvingly.

"I will see what I can do about this, Albus," Poppy slowly said, thinking of ways to possibly get the young witch to open up to her. "Do you know why she was injured when Severus found her?"

"No," the Headmaster's eyes turned grave. "I fear Voldemort has something to do with it, though I don't know what."

Flinching at the name, she nodded sternly. They sat in silence for several minutes before the Mediwitch stood up to leave.

"Oh, Poppy," Albus called after her just as her hand reached the doorknob. "Please keep Miss Granger's condition to yourself."

"Of course."

* * *

><p><strong>Please review<em>. <em>Reviews make me happy.**

Especially when I wake up to emails notifying me of them.

Is it wierd that I enjoyed writing the DE meeting in this chapter? It was the easiest part of the chapter.

I find my fingers struggling to keep up with my mind while I write. I have too many ideas. I've found it helps to write little notes at the bottom of my Word Doc telling me what to include in a certain chapter...

On a side note: If you enjoy Drarry fanfics, please check out the new fanfic I started writing with the lovely Pintos (check out her profile here and tell her how awesome she is in a PM).

I should have the next chapter up tomorrow around the same time as this one, or possible the day after tomorrow. It depends on how exhausted I am tomorrow after riding...


	6. Chapter 6

Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

Sorry for the long wait with this chapter. It's a rather short one, too... My shortest chapter yet.

I decided posting something was better than nothing at all, and the end of this chapter was a rather good stopping point, in my opinion...

School is still killing me. Huge French exam tomorrow, Latin exam Tuesday (for which I need to study 125 more vocabulary words. ;_; Shoot me now.), and hopefully not much homework this week. It _is_ nearing the end of the school year. Maybe my teachers will become lazy and procrastionation prone, like me? Unlikely, but anyone can dream, eh?

Okay, so much for my jibber jabber.

On to the feature presentation...

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up to the sound of someone laying out sheets on a bed. She felt groggy and couldn't remember what happened the previous evening. For some reason, she thought she vaguely remembered the Great Lake and Snape. Deciding to open her eyes, she was immediately blinded by the brightness of the sunlight streaming through the windows. Squinting her eyes, she realized she was in the Hospital Wing. Suddenly memories of what happened in here last night came rushing back to her, but Hermione still couldn't figure out what her mind was hiding from her that had happened to cause her to be placed in Madam Pomfrey's care.<p>

"It's nice to see you awake, Miss Granger," the familiar voice of the Mediwitch said crisply. The sound of someone laying out sheets ceased; quick footsteps made their way towards her. Her eyes having slightly adjusted to the blinding light wandered around the room to land on Poppy Pomfrey nearing her bed.

"What happened?" the young witch's voice was hoarse. Realizing this, the Mediwitch conjured a cup filled with water. While Hermione was drinking, she began explaining.

"Professor Snape saved you from drowning in the Great Lake last night. He brought you here and you've been asleep since Albus gave you a Dreamless Draught."

"_What?_" Hermione's eyes were wide as she let this sink into her head. "I- I nearly _drowned?_"

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips.

"Why? _How?_"

"I was hoping that you would be able to tell me." How was she supposed to tell her what had happened when she couldn't recall at all?

"I can't remember," Hermione's voice was barely a whisper, letting her eyes drop to her palms, which were clutched in her lap in front of her. She couldn't remember anything after falling asleep in her new private dorms last night.

"If you don't mind," the elder woman's voice softened noticeably, "I need to ask you some questions. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Hermione nodded but didn't meet the Mediwitch's gaze.

"Do you remember why Severus took you to St. Mungo's?"

Why had Snape took her to St. Mungo's? Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to start at the beginning.

It was like she was there. She replayed everything in her head. Huddled in her corner all over again, Hermione experienced the same fear she'd felt the first time when she saw the intruder entering her living room. She felt the same panic and fear she'd felt when she made a run for her wand, the same pain when she was hit by _Sectumsempra_, and the same urgency with which she had run for her life all the way to the alley in London, forgetting herself within herself. She was vaguely aware of Snape healing her and picking her up and then apparating into St. Mungo's.

"Miss Granger! _Miss Granger!_" A worried voice rang clearly through her mind. She felt two firm hands on her shoulders trying to gently shake her back into her senses. As her mind slowly because less clouded with the stifling emotions and memories she realized she was now curled up in a ball on her bed in the Hospital Wing shaking and whimpering with tears streaming down her cheeks.

It took Hermione several minutes to calm down and meet the anxious gaze of the school's Mediwitch. Madam Pomfrey was truly worried about the young witch's mental stability; what if her condition progressed and gradually became worse?

"I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione hiccupped.

"Go back to sleep. I need to run some errands," Poppy stood up and headed for the doors of the Hospital Wing; she needed to talk to Dumbledore again.

Not daring to disobey the stern Mediwitch's orders, Hermione closed her eyes and dozed off into a fitful sleep…

"Albus!" Poppy stormed into the office, not bothering to knock.

Dumbledore looked up at her with curiosity written all over his face as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

"Yes, Poppy?"

"Miss Granger is in an unstable mental condition! St. Mungo's is out of the question, I want her to stay here so I can keep an eye on here, but there is nothing I can do for her. She needs someone to look after her, someone who lives here at the castle. I can't do it, because I have too much else t o do. The only people I could think of who would be fit for the job would be you, Minerva, and Severus," the Mediwitch doubted that the Headmaster or Head of Gryffindor would have much time, but as much as she tried to imagine Severus Snape of all people looking after Hermione Granger, she couldn't see it working out at all.

"Minerva is currently away on vacation and won't be returning until a month into the school year, and I am… busy," Dumbledore's eyebrows furrowed at the last word. Madam Pomfrey sighed: Severus Snape it was.

"I will Floo Severus," the Headmaster said, as if reading her mind. Nodding crisply, the Mediwitch took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.

Snape was stalking down the hallways, glaring at the air in front of him. If he hadn't known better, he might have appeared to be sulking. His thoughts traveled over the events of the past several days. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Voldemort wanted Miss Granger dead enough to order Yaxley to kill or have her kill. Considering the fact that Death Eaters were keen on not being caught in the act, Yaxley had probably put someone else up to it.

Another Death Eater? No, that's absurd. Death Eaters only looked out for themselves. Perhaps an unknowing, Imperiused Muggle?

Severus's dark thoughts were interrupted be a loud crash coming from around the corner up ahead. Drawing his wand, he swiftly made his way towards the place where the noise had come from. In the middle of the hallway lay none other than Hermione Granger, who was now being suffocated by the weight of a suit of armor (which had been the reason for the crash) laying on top of her.

"_Wingardium Leviosa,_" Snape recited as he strode towards the figure of the witch lying on the floor.

As soon as the suit of armor was off of her chest, Hermione gasped in a breath of air. Carelessly flinging the suit of armor, which was now half collapsed, beside the wall, he turned around and sent the young witch a death glare.

"Are you _trying_ to kill yourself?" He grabbed her arm and yanked her up with a disgusted snarl on his face.

Before she could answer, her face turned slightly green and she got sick. Luckily she had had the brains enough to turn away from him, or Snape would have probably left her lying in the corridor where she now collapsed for a second time.

"Miss Granger," the Potions Master drawled seriously as if it was her fault or she was faking it, hiding his alarm at her condition. When the only reply he got was a quiet groan, he glanced around once, grateful that the halls of Hogwarts were still vacant of students, and bent down, scooping her up in his arms. Walking as quickly as he could while carrying the witch, he made his way towards the Hospital Wing.

"It appears Severus is not in his office," Dumbledore's usual merry expression and twinkling eyes were now replaced with a frown and a concerned look in his eyes. "Have you seen him this morning, Poppy?"

As if on queue, green flames erupted in the office's fireplace. Stepping out Severus met the Mediwitch's eyes before looking at Dumbledore.

"Miss Granger seems to have a death wish. I found her in a corridor suffocating under a suit of armor that toppled over on top of her. She is currently in the Hospital Wing; I decided to come here since you," he gestured towards Madam Pomfrey, "weren't there."

Without another word, the Mediwitch hopped up and half ran into the fireplace, disappeared a short second later. Nodding at the Headmaster he turned and strode back towards the fireplace from which he had Flooed out of less than a minute ago.

"Wait a minute, Severus," the Potions Master halted.

"Yes, Headmaster?" He turned and raised one eyebrow, intrigued that Albus needed to talk to him now and wondering what about.

"There is an important matter that I must discuss with you concerning Miss Granger…"

Snape already knew this wasn't going to end well for him.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review!<strong> It makes my day brighter. Each review is like an extra sun.

Review also gets chapters posted quicker... So it benefits everyone! :D


	7. Chapter 7

Summary: Hermione Granger is borderline insane because of everything that she has gone through in the past year, including the death of Ronald Weasley, and the disappearance of Harry Potter. One night Severus Snape stumbles upon Ms. Granger lying unconscious in an alley of London on his way home from a Death Eater meeting. Snape realizes the unstable condition (both mentally and physically) the future 7th Year is in and takes her to St. Mungo's. A bond begins to form between the two, and only time can tell if Hermione will be able to accept it and open up to the Potions Master.

Just to clear some things up, there will be no teacher x student relationship apart from normal friendship. The romance will kick in about a year after Hermione has graduated.

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"There is an important matter that I must discuss with you concerning Miss Granger," the Headmaster began. "She cannot be left alone or without supervision until her mental health has improved, I am afraid. It's quite a shame that a witch as intelligent and promising as she is has to deal with these kinds of problems. She should not have to face them alone."<p>

"With all due respect, Albus," Severus sneered nastily, "I doubt I am a capable candidate for the task you so kindly assume me capable for."

"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore's eyes watched the Potions Master with a fatherly sort of twinkle. "Do have some confidence. I haven't even told you the extent of this 'assignment'. You will not have to watch her every waking minute of the day or feed her like a young child. All I ask of you is that you keep an eye on her and help her when you deem it necessary to do so."

Snape could have wrung the old man's neck; he was beyond frustrated. There was absolutely no way he, most hated Professor, Death Eater, snarling git, Bat of the Dungeons, was able to care for a young witch, not that he wanted to either way. Did Dumbledore not realize this?

"Are you forgetting who I am?" Severus snarled. No matter how honorable or 'good' his motives were, his deeds and actions were far from honorable or good. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that he was evil to some extent.

"Ah, Severus," the Headmaster smiled at him condescendingly, "You always think the worst of yourself as well as everyone else."

A silence fell over the two men. The Potions Master was enraged. Who did he end up with this task? Was the universe or karma or another supernatural force making his life a living Hell just to piss him off? He had done enough for the insufferable Know-It-All Hermione Granger in the past few days. He saved his life, for Merlin's sake.

"I think you had better go find Miss Granger and take her to her new private dorms. I believe Poppy will have finished cleaning her up and giving her a thorough check-up by now."

Severus just nodded stiffly, mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Oh, before you take her to her rooms, please have her stop by here. I need to explain everything to her," Severus nodded once more and turned to leave.

"One more thing-"

"Yes?" Snape snapped at the old man.

"I need to speak with you after I have spoken to Miss Granger."

A short while and a knock on the Headmaster's door later, Hermione and Severus stood in Dumbledore's office, waiting for him to speak with them about whatever it was that he wanted to speak with them for.

"Ah, Miss Granger," Dumbledore was twinkling at the duo merrily. "I would like to inform you that you will be moved to different quarters for your safety."

Hermione just started at him like he had grown a second beard. She was getting new quarters again?

"This time your quarters will be in the dungeons," Hermione gaped at this point, "and Professor Snape will be in charge of making sure you are in good enough health and state of mind to care for yourself. He will be your care-taker of sorts. He will not make your bed in the mornings and provide breakfast," Dumbledore nearly chuckled at the enraged expression on Snape's face, "But he will be responsible for you and your well being."

Hermione continued to gape at the old man. He was leaving her in the care of _Snape?_ As in _Severus Snape_? She was dreaming. Yes, that must be what was happening…

"Now, if you don't mind, I need to have a private word with Severus," he dismissed her. She stood outside the door and waiting nervously. Hermione knew that Snape wouldn't enjoy his task of taking care of her one bit.

"Now, please tell me about the last meeting," the Headmaster addressed the Death Eater now sitting in a chair in front of his desk. Hermione stood outside the door, pretending not to eavesdrop after hearing the word 'meeting'.

Severus eyed the room as if he was expecting someone to jump out and _Avada Kedavra_ him before beginning to recount everything that had happened.

Dumbledore nodded and listened. Severus paused for a moment and took a breath before continuing.

"He wants her dead."

Dumbledore's eyes widened and a look of pure shock crossed his face. "Voldemort wants Miss Granger dead?"

Severus nodded, "He had Yaxley try to kill her, but, even considering that he is an incompetent halfwit of a Death Eater, I am most certain that he did not plan to do the dead himself. I believe he hired a hitman of sorts."

"Hired a hitman?"

"_Imperiod_ a Muggle or unknowing witch or wizard wandering at the wrong place at the wrong time," Severus elaborated. The Headmaster nodded.

"Why would Voldemort want her dead?"

"I do not know, Albus, for if I did, I would have told you by now," Severus sneered, his foul mood becoming instantly fouler at the old man's stupid question.

"Then I must request another task of you, Severus," Dumbledore gazed at the Potions Master levelly, "you must find out why it is that he wants Miss Granger out of the way."

Hermione was close to hyperventilating. Voldemort wanted her dead? _Why?_ She hadn't noticed that she had slid down the wall next to the office door until said door was opened and the dark Professor strode out, coming to a halt when he saw Hermione in a heap on the floor, eyes swimming with tears.

"Miss Granger," he said, trying to keep the impatience and annoyance out of his tone so that he didn't have to deal with an insane, hyperventilating, _and_ crying Gryffindor know-it-all. The before mentioned witch quickly jumped up and trying to calm herself. Eying here to be sure she wouldn't collapse, he turned on his heals, cloak billowing in his showcase fashion, and said simply, "Follow me."

Hermione almost had to jog to keep up with the large strides the Potions Master took. They swept down the halls and into the dungeons. Hermione was beginning to wonder how far into the dungeons they were going to lock her up when Snape came to a halt.

"The password is _Sopohorous,_" Snape simply stated and turned to walk off towards what Hermione assumed was his own private quarters.

"My quarters are through the next door down this corridor to the left. Do not disturb me unless it is urgent."

Hermione mumbled a quiet 'Yes, Sir,' before stating the password and entering. Her new quarters were arranged similarly to her old private quarters, except instead of being a perfect blend of colors that represented House Unity, these rooms were mostly green, black, and silver. She would never admit it to anyone, but it looked rather good, if she was completely honest.

After somewhat settling into her new rooms, Hermione decided to take a trip to the library. If nothing else helped to get her mental health back on the right track to recovery, Hermione was certain a good book would. Pausing as she was about to exit through the portrait hole, she turn back around and walked up to the desk and scribbled a note to her professor letting her know where she'd gone.

_ In the library, back later._

She paused after writing those five words. Was she supposed to sign it? Hermione seemed too informal and Hermione Granger seemed too pompous and _in_formal. She decided to just leave it like that and headed out the door. Quickly and quietly the young Gryffindor slid the slip of paper under the door to Snape's personal quarters and started down the corridor to the library.

Hermione was not surprised that the only one she passed on her way to the library was one of the many ghosts that inhabited the castle; the rest of the student body wouldn't be arriving for another couple of weeks. The second she enetered the familiar atmosphere of the library she felt herself relaxing. Skimming the shelves she found a book she, surprisingly, hadn't had the pleasure or time to read yet.

Settling down in the chair situated in the corner at the very back of the library, Hermione opened the book and immersed herself in her private world of academics and knowledge.

Dinner had come and passed, but the young witch hadn't noticed. After finishing the first book she had picked up, she put it back and grabbed a second book off of a different set of shelves. Hermione had successfully devoured the second book as well and was just getting into a third book, a Muggle novel, which she was surprised but pleased to find stashed away behind several much larger books about Transfiguration.

Hermione hadn't noticed the time flying by, and before she knew it, it was well past midnight as her eyes slowly drooped and her head nodded into sleep.

The Potions Master had locked and warded his private quarters so that no one except the House Elves could enter. After ordering a quick meal, Snape had taken to his chambers and had fallen into a deep sleep.

It was midnight before he was awakened by a bloodcurdling scream coming from somewhere in the dungeons. His eyes shot open, survival instincts kicking in immediately upon waking. Grabbing his wand, he charmed a fresh set of black robes on him as he strode out of his chambers to go investigate. He noticed a white piece of paper lying on the floor by his door. A second scream drew his attention away from the parchment; he'd have to see what it was later.

He slowed and silenced his footsteps with a Silencing Charm as he exited his private quarters. He paused, waiting for another scream or sound. Snape froze when he heard another scream coming from the stairs exiting the dungeons. He knew that voice.

Breaking into a run, he tore down the dungeon corridors until he reached the stairs. Pausing to catch his breath, he heard moans and whimpers coming from the corner of an intersecting hallway.

"Miss Granger?" Severus kept his voice monotonous, not betraying his surprise and worry. "_Miss Granger._"

_He was drawing closer. Closer and closer. She couldn't breath; she couldn't think. The silhouette was stalking towards her slowly, as if he were a predator playing with his prey. The black hood covering his face cast his entire face into complete darkness. She felt like she was staring into a pit. She tried to scramble backwards only to realize that she was already pressed up against the wall. _

_The silhouette pulled out his wand and pointed it at her. He whispered something, surely a curse, that she couldn't understand. A split moment later she was convulsing and screaming bloody murder. _

_Pain. That was all she knew. After a few seconds of the torturous feeling, it was all she had ever known and, it seemed, all she would ever know. _

_Relief washed over her when the pain finally left her body, leaving only a dull ache behind that couldn't even be compared to the searing hot fire that had burned and coursed through her veins moments before. _

_She risked a glance at the hooded figure._

No!_ she screamed. His hood had fallen back to reveal the face of none other than the deceased Ronald Weasley. Suddenly the face changed. And then it changed again. Before she knew it, the hooded figure's face was turning it everyone she knew. _

_Harry, her father, her mother, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape…_

"Miss Granger!"

She screamed when the Potions Master reached out to her and grasped her shoulders, expecting him to wring her neck.

"_Miss Granger!"_ Her eyes flew open and she cut off her own scream with her hands. Hermione sat there unmoving for several seconds, eyes wide, before collapsing into a sobbing heap.

"ALBUS!" Severus stormed into the Headmaster's office without bothering to knock. The bearded man was sitting at his desk, as he always seemed to be when someone came to speak with him, no matter how unannounced it may be. He was wearing a red and gold sleeping gown.

"Ah, Severu-,"

"It _cannot _go on like this! Miss Granger is mentally unstable and should be in a padded cell or at _least _at St. Mungo's where people can _actually_ help her," Snape was positively fuming. Even his Gryffindor Potions classes hadn't seen their professor this angry; the first and second years would have probably wet themselves and ran screaming to their mummies.

"Severus, I thought I had explained the situation-"

"_Explained the situation? _What? That Miss Granger is _insane_?" Severus interrupted the old man once more. "I found her whimpering in the dungeons. _Does that mean nothing to you?_ I saved her more times than I'd care to admit to _anyone, _and you expect me to _babysit_ her and _take care_ of her while she recuperates?"

"Severus, my boy, please calm down. I can understand your view on this matter, but I ask you to trust me. She will heal much more quickly here at Hogwarts than anywhere else."

Snape was pacing back and forth in front of the doors to the Infirmary, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to finish making sure Hermione hadn't physically injured herself. The Potions Master was furious; it wouldn't have been hard for an onlooker to imagine monstrous storm clouds following him and floating over his head, shaking the air around him with thunderbolts and lightning.

His mind went from wanting to strangle the old Headmaster to wanting to strangle himself for screwing up his duties of protecting Miss Granger. He couldn't stand the Know-It-All Gryffindor, but he never failed a mission. His years as a Death Eater and Spy and taught him that failure was not an option; rather, it was not a nice alternative to success. Failure to fulfill the Dark Lords wishes resulted in immense pain and sometimes even death to those unlucky enough to have angered and already angry Voldemort.

It seemed like hours later when Poppy finally released Hermione from her care. Snape didn't glance at her once when she exited the Hospital Wing. Instead, he turned on his heal, cloak billowing, and stalked off towards the dungeons. Hermione had to jog to keep up.

Reaching Hermione's private dorms, Snape finally broke the heavy silence that had fallen over the two, "I am warding your dorms so that no one except myself and Dumbledore can get in without your permission. Also, I am placing an alarm on the door; if you are to leave after 10:00 PM, I will immediately be notified. If you are not in your room at 10:00 PM, I will also be notified. Do not take this lightly and decide to act on Gryffindor rashness just to annoy me."

Severus sent a glare at Hermione before turning towards his own quarters.

"Professor?" Hermione called weakly. He turned and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Thank you."

He sneered and walked away, swearing he heard a soft "Goodnight" as he shut his door with excess force. As Severus turned away from the door, his eyes traveled to the white parchment lying on the floor; he had completely forgotten about it. Walking over to it, he picked it up and read it.

Sneering, he strode over to the fire place, muttered a quick spell and threw the paper in, watching as the fire devoured the words.

_In the library, back later._

He could have laughed bitterly, but of course, Severus Snape does not laugh.

* * *

><p>I know it's getting a bit repetitive, but that will change soon (in the next chapter) when the students and the rest of the Staff start arriving.<p>

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you for sticking with _Reverse Psychology_ so far! It means a lot!

**Please read and review. **It means a lot to me to be able to read what you think of my work!

* * *

><p>The next two weeks passed in a blur. Hermione found herself spending all of her time reading or preparing herself by reading through her NEWT textbooks in the library. She couldn't remember exactly how the habit had developed, but for one reason or another, the young witch found herself knocking on the Potions Master's door every evening before her curfew to ask for a Dreamless Draught. It was a blessing, to Snape as well as her, to not have nightmares.<p>

Hermione rarely saw Snape, except at meals. She suspected he was busy preparing for class and being a Death Eater. She still shuddered whenever she thought of the Dark Mark that was most certainly branded onto his forearm, but for some reason she could never compare her professor to a Death Eater. It was a well known fact that Severus Snape had one of the foulest dispositions in all of England, but very few people believed he was truly evil. He didn't grind student's bones to make his bread.

Most of the staff had already arrived to make sure that everything was in order for the start of term. They sent Hermione sympathetic smiles at meals and tried to start academic conversations with her, but she just couldn't seem to become interested in the subject.

The day before her peers would be arriving, Hermione was, as usual, in the library reading.

She was so absorbed in the text that she was reading, she didn't notice a familiar figure enter the library and approach her until his shadow blocked her light.

"Miss Granger," the familiar drawl didn't startle Hermione as it used to; she had grown accompanied to having Professor Snape coming to the library to tell her that she should be heading back to her private dorm due to her approaching curfew time.

"Sir?" Hermione looked up, slightly perplexed. Surely it wasn't ten o'clock yet?

"The Headmaster would like to see you," Severus continued in his usual bored tone. The Gryffindor merely nodded and hurriedly placed all the books she had taken off the shelves back and met the Potions Master by the library doors. They quickly and quietly made their way to Dumbledore's office; neither spoke, but the silence was far from strained. Hermione was beginning to realize just how grateful she was to Dumbledore for putting her in Snape's care: he didn't pester her about what had transpired in the past months.

A small smile found it's way onto her lips as she thought how insane she must sound to anyone who knew her. That smile was quickly wiped away with the thought that her best friends would have thrown a fit. Her deceased and missing best friends.

"Chocolate Frogs," the password to the Headmaster's office brought Hermione back to reality and away from the oppressing guilt and pain she had become so accustomed to feeling when she wasn't in the library. Snape knocked once on Dumbledore's door and entered without waiting for an acknowledgement from the office.

"Ah, Severus, Miss Granger," the Headmaster greeted the two with his usual twinkling eyes.

"Albus," Snape nodded his greeting. Hermione merely smiled weakly and took the seat that Dumbledore gestured towards.

"Miss Granger," he began slowly, "I'm sure that you are well aware that the students will be arriving tomorrow."

Hermione nodded.

"I wanted to speak with you because I was wondering if you would like to move back to the Gryffindor dormitories."

"No!" Hermione said quickly and a little too loud, but she didn't notice. Her thoughts were racing. Would Dumbledore force her to move back into her old dorms and be with the other girls? She knew that their gazes would be filled with contempt and accusations. Someone would have told them. Hermione was certain the news had somehow spread that she was Ron's murderer, the reason he was dead.

She hadn't realized that she was crying until the Headmaster handed her a handkerchief.

"Th-thank you, sir," she managed to choke out.

"I'm not going to force you to. You have my permission to stay in your current quarters," Albus said comfortingly.

After a moment he said, "That is all I meant to speak with you about. Severus, if you would escort Miss Granger back to her rooms."

That evening Hermione knocked gently on Snape's door, like any other night.

"Come in," the drawl, which Hermione had come to consider soothing, reached her even through wooden door. She stared at the door. He had never invited her in before. He had always come to the door, Dreamless Draught in hand, given her the potion, and then disappeared into his rooms again.

Deciding to take the invitation before he withdrew it, Hermione quickly opened the door and stepped inside.

The site that greeted her nearly made her break into a grin, but she controlled herself. Amidst the normal looking room, which was decorated in less green and silver than she had previously imagined, and sitting in a comfortable chair by the fireplace was her Potions Professor.

"Good evening, sir," Hermione managed to speak without stumbling over any words, "I was just wondering if I could have a vial of Dreamless Draught…"

Snape stood up and nodded at her. "I will return with the potion in a moment," was all he muttered as he strode out of the door and down the corridor to his storage room.

Hermione stood by the door, shuffling her feet. What was she supposed to do? Deciding to test her luck, she slowly made her way over to the fireplace and took a seat in the armchair opposite the one Snape had been sitting in just moment before. Hermione gazed into the fire.

What was her last school year going to be like? Would her peers avoid her or pretend like nothing had happened? She hadn't really ever had any friends except Harry and Ron, and Ginny would surely not wish to speak with her. She flinched slightly when she thought about what the youngest Weasley's reaction would be when she saw her. Ginny would probably sneer at her and give her the cold shoulder. What was she going to do after she graduated? She had originally planned to take on an apprenticeship, but she doubted anyone would want her anymore.

Hermione jumped up out of the chair when the door opened and the Professor strode in holding the potion she had asked for.

Hurrying over to where he stood without saying a word, she lowered her eyes to her shoes and took the vial when he offered it to her a second later.

"Thank you, Professor," she mumbled, stepping towards the door. "Good night, sir."

"Miss Granger," he nodded as she exited his chambers.

He had been slightly surprised to find the young Gryffindor sitting in front of the fire when he returned, but wasn't perturbed. She hadn't been touching anything after all. He was overly thankful that she hadn't had any nightmares lately and that she seemed to respect his space and ignore him as much as he ignored her.

Walking back to the chair he had previously occupied, he conjured a cup of tea with a quick wave of his wand. He sat down and sipped his tea, scowling as he remembered that the students would be arriving in the morning.

The following morning was incredibly hectic for the teachers. Hermione was sure she met just about every one of the staff members on her way to the library, even though most of them had been absent at breakfast.

Her day progressed just as every other one had for her so far, until after lunchtime when a sudden realization hit her, making her freeze up and hold her breath.

Hermione had never run through the castle so fast. Catching her breath to choke out the password to Dumbledore's office, she was relieved to find the Headmaster in his office and now running an errand like every other staff member was at the moment.

"Professor!" Hermione gasped as she stumbled into the office.

"Miss Granger!" Albus looked up from some papers, rather alarmed. "Take a seat and calm down, please."

Hermione managed a nod. It took her several moments to calm down enough to explain her sudden intrusion.

"Do I have to eat with the other students?" she spoke before her mind could tell her how stupid she probably sounded.

"Ah, I was wondering if you wanted to-"

"No!" Hermione interrupted quickly, "Sir, I'm sorry for interrupting like this, I really am."

"It's quite alright," his eyes had resumed their trademark twinkling. "You can eat at the Staff Table if that makes you more comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you, Professor!" Hermione shot up out of the chair she had taken a seat in, graciously thanking the Headmaster. Without another word she turned and swiftly walked out of the office; her cheeks began to burn when she realized how she must have looked and how impolite she had been.

Hermione hurried back to the library and cleaned up the books she had removed from the shelves before heading back to her private chambers. On her way she met Professor McGonagall who told her to change into her school robes as the other students would be arriving in an hour's time.

Half an hour later, Hermione heard a knock on the door to her quarters, and hurried to open it.

"Professor," she greeted the tall, dark man standing outside.

"The Headmaster has told me that you are going to be eating at the Staff Table. I have come to collect you and take you to the Great Hall," Snape drawled. Hermione had come to the revelation that Snape wasn't as unpleasant as he made himself out to be during the Gryffindor Potions lessons. He rarely sneered; come to think of it, he hadn't sneered at her at all lately.

"Yes, sir," she hurriedly stepped out of her quarters and shut the door behind her. Hermione followed the Potions Master down the corridors, out of the dungeons, and eventually into the Great Hall via a secret entrance for the staff.

Walking up to the huge Staff Table, Snape took the seat next to the end seat, motioning towards the empty end seat for her. Hermione swiftly took her seat and fiddled her thumbs nervously under the table.

What would it look like to the others? Hermione Granger sitting with the staff. At least she wouldn't have to listen to the gossip and accusations…

Several minutes later, the first Seventh Years began to filter in and taking their seats at their respective House's table. The pleasant sound of people chattering merrily filled the hall and helped Hermione relax a little. Twenty minutes later, all of the Seventh through Second years were seated and waiting for the Sorting Ceremony to begin. Not soon after, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and McGonagall strode in, tailed by about fifty nervous First Years, who gazed in awe at the ceiling. Hermione remembered when she walked through those doors the first time…

Her mind wandered to what the year would hold for her. She barely paid attention to the sorting, clapping when the others clapped, but not hearing the names of the First Years of which Houses they had been sorted into.

After the Sorting, Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome back for another wonderful year at Hogwarts!" he greeted the school, eyes as bright as always, "I have a few reminders to make before we begin the Feast. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is still out of bounds for everyone. Secondly, curfew has been set at nine o'clock. Also, I'm sure that you are all aware of the danger lurking beyond the gates. I advise you to follow every safety precaution set by the Heads of Houses and myself. Voldemort is on the loose and just as dangerous as he was twenty years ago."

The hall was silent.

"And on a much happier note," Dumbledore changed the mood with a simple smile and some much awaited words, "Let the feast begin!"

The feast went by quickly, and soon Hermione found herself waiting for all of the students to leave the Great Hall before tailing behind her Potions Professor and making her way back to her private quarters. Thankfully no one had the courage to speak to her with the menacing professor so close to her, so she was able to make her way to the dungeons safely.

All of the Slytherins seemed to already be in the Common Room, so the dungeons were deserted.

"I trust you can find your quarters by yourself? I must speak with my Slytherins," Snape stopped before the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room and raised a questioning eyebrow at Hermione.

"Of course, sir," she nodded and turned to make her way further into the dungeons to her rooms. She made it to the dungeons and soon found herself ready for bed and surprisingly exhausted. As she lay in bed, Hermione suddenly remembered she hadn't gotten a vial for Dreamless Draught from Snape yet, and felt panic course through her before she saw a tiny vial sitting on her bedside table. She smiled as she drank the potion and drifted swiftly off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so, so sorry it's taken me so long to update.**

School is killing me. Fridays are spent at school and then I'm at the stables until 21:00. Saturdays are spent in bed reading/eating. Sundays are for homework.

I need to learn to plan my day better.

**A huge thank you **to all of you who have added this story to their Alert Lists and also reviewed.

I have the next chapter almost completely planned out, so now I just need to write it. After I post this I need to do something homework and then I'll get started on writing Chapter 10 out (if I have time; heading to the stables this afternoon).

Thanks again!

* * *

><p>It was around midnight; a single hooded figure was striding through the woods, his determination heard clearly in his footfalls.<p>

Coming into a clearing, another figure emerged from behind a tall oak tree.

"You have disappointed me," the man came to a half and pulled off his hood to reveal his face.

"Mr. Yaxley, Sir," the other figure stepped forward into the light the moon cast upon the clearing.

"Spare me your formalities, you blood-traitor," Yaxley spat at the man. "You failed your mission. Our Lord has punished me for your mistake, now it is your turn to pay."

"Please, Sir, forgive me-"

"_Crucio._" Yaxley was furious at the man as well as himself for choosing such an imbecile to complete the mission. He'd need a new hitman. A better hitman.

Tortured screams echoed through the woods until a flash of brilliant green light silenced them.

ooooo

Hermione woke with a start. Reaching for her wand she cast a quick Tempus charm only to discover that she should have been awake half an hour ago. She got dressed quickly and hurried to the Great Hall. Sliding in through the staff's door, she bowed her head and made her way to her seat at the other end of the table, pretending not to notice the stares directed at her.

She could only imagine what it must look like for her, Hermione Granger, Know-It-All Gryffindor, taking a seat at the Staff Table.

She slid into her seat and murmured a greeting to the Potions Master seated next to her, "Good morning, Professor."

Said professor gave a curt nod in her direction before turning back to his breakfast consisting of a slice of toast and black coffee.

Hermione reached for the pot of coffee and poured herself a cup, adding milk and sugar just the way she liked it.

She sat there sipping on her warm drink until the Headmaster stood up and the Hall fell silent.

"Good morning," he greeted the students, "today is your first day of classes. Professor McGonagall will now begin passing out your schedules. If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask your Head of House. I hope everyone has a good first day of term."

Professor McGonagall rose from her spot at the Staff table and, with a flick of her wand, conjured up an enormous pile of papers. Beginning at the Gryffindor table, she passed out the students' schedules. After about half an hour, everyone had their schedules, and McGonagall was sitting back at the Staff Table.

Hermione was still sitting in her seat, sipping coffee. Looking at her schedule, she felt like groaning. It was nearly as bad as 3rd Year all over again. Hermione stopped her train of thought. Since when had she disliked school like this? Sure, there had always been the tiny bit of annoyance at the professors who didn't care that the other professors had already given them six essays and a project to do, but there had never been any genuine dislike.

Double Charms and Transfiguration before lunch and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Ancient Runes afterwards. Hermione could already tell her first day of classes wasn't going to be easy.

She stayed in the Great Hall until she had finished her cup of coffee before heading off to her first class: Charms with Professor Flitwick. Hermione was glad that she had been fortunate enough to have him as her Charms Professor the past years. Flitwick was a good teacher and praised Hermione often for her advanced work.

Hermione kept her head low so that no one she knew might notice her as she made her way back to her private chambers to grab her school bag which was packed with all the parchment, quills, and books she would need for the day. She had cast a quick Featherlight Charm before scurrying off to the second floor for Charms.

Some of Hermione's anxiety disappeared once Neville Longbottom took a seat next to her during Charms and decided to stick with her for the rest of the day. It was easy enough to half-way ignore the glances and whispers coming from most of her other classmates while conversing with Neville over Charms Theory and other academic subjects.

Transfiguration had passed reasonably quickly and quite well. Hermione knew that she would have to dedicate more time than ever before to studying for her Transfiguration NEWTs, but it wasn't something that she wasn't willing to do.

During lunch the two decided to take their food and go out to the lake to have a small picnic. Neville spent most of his time observing and gushing over the abundance of aquatic magical plants and herbs. Hermione even laughed when Neville ran out of the knee-deep area of the lake screaming that the Giant Squid was trying to drag him under and eat him.

_Perhaps today won't be _that_ bad,_ Hermione thought, smiling for the first time in what seemed like ages.

ooooo

Neville and Hermione walked down the crowded hall, following their classmates to their next class.

"I wonder who the new Defense Professor is?" Neville wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Professor Dumbledore didn't mention there being a new staff member."

Before Neville could reply, the door they had been waiting outside of for class swung open an a familiar face appeared.

"Good morning, class!" The werewolf smiled slightly nervously at the 7th Years waiting.

"Professor Lupin!" Neville exclaimed, surprised. "I didn't know that you were back at Hogwarts."

Said professor's smiled became calmer as he turned his attention to the clumsy, accident-prone Gryffindor, "I didn't either until I received an owl from the Headmaster a week ago."

Hermione couldn't help but wonder what Dumbledore must have done to convince not only Remus to return to teach DADA at Hogwarts but also the parents who knew their children had been taught by a werewolf.

_Perhaps today really won't be so bad after all…_

The rest of the day passed in much the same fashion. The professors having mercy on the students and sparing them from homework since it was the first day of term.

During dinner in the Great Hall, Severus turned to her when she sat down and spoke to her.

"The Headmaster wants to see you in his office in two hours."

Hermione nodded.

ooooo

"Come in."

Hermione entered the Headmaster's office.

"Ah, Miss Granger! Please, take a seat," Dumbledore gestured at one of the chairs placed in front of his desk. "Lemon drop?"

"No thank you, Sir," Hermione smiled politely at the old man.

"How was your first day back?" his eyes twinkled at her from across the desk.

"Good, Sir," she replied honestly.

After a short pause, the Headmaster took a breath and continued, "You have been taking Dreamless Draughts every night for the past several weeks if I am not mistaken."

Hermione nodded, confused and wondering where this was going.

"I am sure that you are well aware that if a person takes Dreamless Draughts over an extended period of time, that an extremely powerful addiction can occur. Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey have come to me separately and asked if it is wise to continue giving you Dreamless Draughts regularly."

"No," Hermione squeaked out. _No, no, no, no._ The nightmares will come back. The sleepwalking. Waking up screaming and drenched in ice cold sweat.

"Miss Granger, I am sure that you will be able to adapt to sleeping without taking a nightly Draught," Dumbledore's voice was full of reassurance and sympathy.

"Please," her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Dumbledore sighed. "Alright, Miss Granger. You can go now."

"Thank you, Sir," she murmured before swiftly leaving the office.

It wasn't until she entered her private chambers that she realized she was hyperventilating. Leaning back, she slid down the door onto the floor and curling up into a ball.

Would Dumbledore really stop letting Snape or Madam Pomfrey give her Dreamless Draughts? It would be the end of her… A student would somehow figure out that it was her wandering the castle at night and screaming bloody murder. They would finally all learn the facts: Hermione Granger murdered Ronald Weasley.

A knock on the door behind her brought her back to reality. Hermione shot up and wiped her eyes; she hadn't noticed that she had been crying.

Opening the door, she came face to face with the Potions Master.

"Professor?"

"The Headmaster sent me to give you this," Snape handed her a crystal vial containing an all-too familiar substance.

"Thank you," she said quietly, staring at the Draught she now held in her hand.

"That is all. Good night, Miss Granger," he nodded curtly before turning on his heel and walking down the corridor towards his own private quarters.

She watched his cloak billowing behind him for several seconds before closing the door again.

Glancing back down at the potion, she wondered if Dumbledore had realized that even though the risk of addiction was high, she really did need the potion to live a halfway normal life.

ooooo

The following morning Hermione woke up early and got down to the Great Hall before most of the older students (who had perfected the art of sleeping as long as possible and still getting to breakfast on time). Like the day before, she greeted the Potions Professor before pouring herself a cup of coffee.

The mail began arriving shortly after Hermione had finished eating the eggs she had piled on her plate. It didn't take long for her to notice that the students were reasonably louder now that they had received their mail, which wasn't a problem within itself. The noise just felt… wrong.

Glancing around at the tables, she saw all of the students reading the Daily Prophet and pointing at the front page. Turning to her left, she glanced down the Staff Table and saw that most of the staff members had their own owls to deliver mail. (It was times like this when Hermione regretted not buying an owl as well as Crookshanks, who had disappeared along with Harry.)

"Professor?" she cleared her throat to get Snape's attention. He raised a single eyebrow questioningly. "Could I borrow that?"

She gestured at the rolled up Prophet that a large tawny owl had brought him.

He nodded once before turning back to his coffee.

Reaching for the newspaper, Hermione's hands began to shake. An ever-growing feeling of dread was slowly building up inside of her. She just _knew_ that something was wrong.

Slowly she untied the string that kept the paper rolled up neatly. The paper unrolled by itself.

"No," she breathed. "_No, no, no._"

Staring at her from the front page was a picture of a familiar red head. The headline read _Percy Weasley Murdered. _

Hermione managed to read it before everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews help keep my muse alive! :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**A huge thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story or who's just now beginning to read it.**

I'm surprised... two updates in under a month? My muse may be lurking just around the corner... Hopefully I'll keep updating more regularly.

Thanks again!

**R&R**

* * *

><p>Hermione was becoming used to waking up to the startling white light of the Hospital Wing, not remembering right away why she was there. She blinked several times, adjusting to the brightness, before trying to remember exactly why she ended up there again.<br>Furrowing her brow in frustration, she tried to think about the events that had led up to her being brought to the Infirmary. She had been in the Great Hall eating breakfast. The post had arrived, and then…  
>And then she had borrowed Snape's copy of The Prophet. The headline flashed through her mind, causing her to catch her breath and loose the calm that had come with her ignorance of what had happened.<br>Light-headedness and the urge to release her stomach's contents overcame her as she gripped the bed sheets tightly between her fists.  
>Percy was dead. It echoed around her mind and in her ears.<br>It seemed entirely illogical, but Hermione found herself scared for her life. What if the Weasleys blamed her for Percy's death too? She couldn't decide what felt worse: knowing that she had killed Ron or being accused of killing Percy, which she knew she hadn't. Hermione couldn't even recall the last time she'd seen, let alone talked to him.  
>"Ah, Miss Granger," Hermione was startled out of her inner troubles when Madam Pomfrey hurried over after seeing the young witch awake.<br>"Here, drink this. You'll feel better," the Mediwitch handed her a cup of liquid that looked suspiciously like chocolate milk. Sniffing it, she earned a snort from the older woman.  
>"It's not poisonous. It's a Calming Draught mixed with a completely Muggle drink known to everyone as chocolate milk," she smiled down at her with motherly concern apparent in her eyes.<br>"Thank you, Madam," Hermione lowered her eyes to the contents of the cup as she gulped it down. Even as she handed Madam Pomfrey back the cup she felt the potions take effect. In fact, she was beginning to believe that she could run a marathon.  
>A real smile formed on her face for the first time in what seemed like forever as she savoured the taste that the chocolate milk left behind.<br>"Professor Snape would like you to spend the day in his private potions lab with him. He asked me to instruct you to stop by the library on your way to the dungeons and grab enough books and homework to keep you busy for the rest of the day," Madam Pomfrey informed her, before she began bustling around, fixing the beds nearest her.  
>Without reply, Hermione swung both legs over the side of her bed and stood up.<br>"Thank you again, Madam Pomfrey," she thanked the older witch with a grateful smile as she began to make her way out of the Hospital Wing.  
>It didn't take long for her to reach the library. Since she knew the library shelves like the back of her hand, it also didn't take her long to find six books that covered numerous topics and perked her interest.<br>As she checked the books out, Madame Pince gave Hermione a friendly smile that she only gave because of their mutual love of literature.  
>Leaving the library, she realized that she had forgotten her bag that morning in her rooms.<br>'At least my private rooms are in the dungeons,' Hermione thought as she began to realize how long a detour it would have been to grab her bag, had she been staying in Gryffindor Tower with the other Gryffindors.  
>A few short minutes later, she found herself standing outside of the door to Snape's personal potions lab, bag over her shoulder. Hesitantly, she knocked softly on the door twice, waiting for the Potions Master to open up.<br>"Come in." The aforementioned professor's voice was muffled, but Hermione understood him clearly. Without waiting for him to repeat himself she gently opened the door and stepped inside.  
>The room smelt mostly of herbs and mint, though she was quite sure there was a hint of the iron-like smell of blood. It looked more like a Muggle laboratory than what Hermione had expected it to. She guessed Snape used this room to experiment and brew privately. In the far corner there was a small table with two chairs; behind it was what looked oddly like a small kitchen.<br>"Take a seat at the table in the back," Snape said without looking up from the cauldron he was currently hovering over, long fingers adding pinches of dried salamander eggs.  
>Hurrying over to said table, Hermione placed her books on it and dropped her bag on the second chair. She took out her homework and began working.<br>The hours passed by at a comfortable pace. As Hermione drew closer to the end of the third book she had checked out, the Calming Draught that Madam Pomfrey had given her was beginning to wear off.  
>Soon wild thoughts were racing through her head; it didn't take long for her to be convinced that the Weasleys truly were going to hate her. It took all she had to not break down into a crying, sobbing heap.<br>Mind still racing, Hermione grabbed a blanch piece of parchment and began to write.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,  
>I'm so very, very sorry for you loss. I know my words must come as everything but a comfort to you, but please know that I truly am sorry. After losing Ron, I know you must have begun to hate me. Now that Percy is no longer with us either, you must believe that I am the cause for both your sons' early passing. Even if my condolences can't offer you any comfort, please know that I am terribly sorry; I never meant to hurt Ronald. And rest assured that at least Percy's death wasn't caused by my hands.<br>You were always like a family to me.  
>With Love,<br>Hermione.  
><em>  
>Hermione went on to write similar letters to each of the Weasley siblings, starting with Ginny and ending with Bill, whom she knew the least but had heard great things about from Ron.<br>"Miss Granger, dinner will be served in half an hour," the familiar drawl helped calm her as she feared she would lose it after signing the last letter.  
>"Okay," she half-whispered, then began packing up her books and homework. She rolled the letters up and tied them closed, slipping them on top of the other things in her schoolbag. Hermione decided she would take them to the Owlery before she headed to the Great Hall.<br>As she slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder, she turned to bid her Professor goodbye.  
>The potion he was carrying across the room caught her eye. The dazzling bright colour made it look like liquid gold.<br>"What is that, sir?" Hermione asked before she could stop herself. Snape looked up at her and eyed her for a moment before replying.  
>"A personal experiment of mine that I have been working on for several months."<br>Nothing more was said about it. She nodded, wondering what the potion was supposed to do.  
>"See you at dinner, sir," she nodded with a shy smile as she headed out the door. Snape stared at the closed door just a second longer than he would have, had the person who left been any other student.<br>Hermione pondered what the potion might be. It was a personal experiment of his, so it meant that it probably wasn't mentioned in any book she could get her hands on. She'd have to pay better attention to what he added to the potion the next time.  
>'The next time?' Hermione couldn't help but shake her head. 'Why would there be a next time?'<br>She dropped off her bag in her quarters, taking only the scrolls of parchment she wanted to send off, before heading towards the main exit. It took her ten minutes to make it out of the castle while avoiding most of the other students. This resulted in her having taken another unexpected detour and leaving the castle through one of its side doors.  
>It was rather chilly outside, Hermione realized, as she shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. The wind was blowing and tangling her hair, covering her face and making her squint.<br>When Hermione finally reached the Owlery and climbed to the top, she was freezing. She took the first letter and tied it to the leg of one of the school owls. Repeating the action with the rest of the letters, she sent more birds off with her letters, and then watched them fly off into the distance.  
>She turned and left the Owlery, descending the stairs and facing the cold once more. She was halfway down the steps before she noticed one very familiar owl flying her way.<br>Hermione froze mid-step. The snowy white bird landed on the railing beside her and stretched out her leg in invitation. It took her several moments to be able to control her hands enough to take the parchment tied to Hedwig's leg and unroll it. Hedwig hooted and nipped at Hermione's fingers gently, trying to comfort her, sensing her shock.  
>Her hands were shaking as she unrolled the parchment, and the familiar scrawl made her catch her breath.<p>

_Before drift nods at midnight when Moony is active.  
>Prongs Jr.<br>P.S. I am Lord Voldemort. TMR_

Hermione's eyes widened. She had to reread the letter to be sure that she hadn't misread herself.  
><em>Prongs Jr<em>… It had to be Harry. She remembered that the Marauder 'Prongs' had been Harry's father. It was obvious that Harry had written to her to tell her something important. The message itself didn't make any sense, and the postscript just confused her even more.  
>She knew he didn't mean it literally, and that it was a clue.<br>_Moony…_ That was Lupin, wasn't it?  
>Hermione hadn't heard from him in ages. Maybe she'd write him a letter later to try and figure out if he knew anything.<br>Harry wanted her to figure something out but couldn't just write to her and tell her in fear of his letter being intercepted and read by the wrong people.  
><em>I am Lord Voldemort. TMR<em>. There was something nagging at her brain that was just beyond her comprehension. There was something about those words.  
>Hermione needed to figure out what the letter meant, and fast.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So, what'd you think? ^^<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews! The links expired before I could reply. :(

* * *

><p>There were five minutes before dinner would be served in the Great Hall. Severus Snape was sitting at the staff table glaring out over the sea of students, internally pretending that he wasn't wondering where Miss Granger was. Had he been anyone else, he would have fidgeted around nervously or bitten his nails.<br>His eyes shot to the staff entrance when the door opened. Hermione strode in with her head ducked low, trying not to draw attention to herself. Snape's eyes narrowed when he saw her trying to hide a small smile.  
>She took her seat next to him and glanced up at him with a brief smile before turning to fill her plate with the food that had just then appeared.<br>Dinner passed slowly for the Potions Master. He couldn't help but wonder where Hermione had been and what had happened to make her smile like that. The smile the young witch had been trying to hide was full of joy and hope.

ooo

That night Severus found himself still wondering what had caused Hermione's sudden lift in mood while he waiting for his Mark to start burning. For the first time in years, he found himself wishing he was closer to another person so that he could ask them something so personal.

ooo

The next morning began just like the previous one. Hermione made her way to the Great Hall and took her seat beside her Potions professor.  
>She sipped her coffee, lost in thought.<br>Harry needed to tell her something. It was definitely something of utmost importance. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She had read and reread the letter at least a hundred times the previous night, and another ten times that morning. The words made just as much sense the hundredth time as they had the first.  
>Hermione had lost track of time while thinking and soon most of the students had already left the Great Hall to grab their bags for their first class. Hermione quickly followed their example and rushed down to the dungeons to grab her bags before running back through the castle and across the castle grounds to the greenhouses.<br>Herbology passed slowly. Professor Sprout decided to review some of the more important plants that she had let them handle up until that point. Hermione paired up with Neville when Professor Sprout told them to, so that they could start tending to the Venomous Tentacula and picking the ripe ones' leaves.  
>She left the greenhouses after an hour, covered in small cuts and a bruise on her arm from where the devilish plants decided to try and eat her.<br>Having already memorized her timetable unlike most of her other classmates, Hermione made her way down into the dungeons. She was the first person in the classroom and decided to sit in the very back instead of the seat at the very front that she had occupied for the past six years. Slowly her peers began to trickle in.  
>Glancing at the familiar faces, Hermione sighed. Why was she always stuck in a SlytherinGryffindor Potions class?  
>She suddenly missed Neville and wished that he weren't such a klutz when it came to potions; she knew there was no way he would have made it into the NEWT's class without a miracle, even considering the fact that they had had Slughorn as their Potions professor the previous year.<br>Everything had changed in the past year. She didn't realize how much she had taken Harry and Ron for granted during potions class. Hermione felt a sharp pain in her chest as she thought of the times that the three of them had crowded onto one table last year, since Slughorn hadn't seemed to mind.  
>The sound of the door slamming shut broke Hermione out of her thoughts and forced her attention upon Snape, who was now striding down the center aisle sending nasty glares at the whole class.<br>"It has come to my attention that some of you are only in this room because a certain professor replaced me last year. I will not hesitate to throw out anyone who I deem unfit to take NEWT-level Potions." Hermione found herself hanging on every word, exactly like the very first time she had sat in the very same Potions classroom in the very same dungeons. "I will be pushing you harder than I have ever pushed you in the past."  
>He sent a scathing sneer at some of the Gryffindors, "Someone of you may find yourself breaking under the pressure. If you do not feel up to the tasks ahead, feel free to leave now."<br>Silence reigned over the class for several drawn out seconds. It seemed as if Snape was waiting on some of the Gryffindors, who were nervously squirming in their seats, to get up and leave the room.  
>"Very well," the Potions Master continued, seeing that none of the students were planning on going. "Take out your books and turn to page thirteen. The ingredients are in the same place they have been since your first year. I want the potion done and put in a vial labelled with your name on my desk before lunch. You may begin."<br>Hermione immediately kicked into gear and opened her book, groaning when she saw the potion they were supposed to be brewing.  
>Wolfsbane. Snape sure wasn't slow to start the year on a hostile note. Several of the students from Slytherin looked amused, while the Gryffindors looked furious. It wasn't a secret that Professor Lupin was a werewolf after the stunt Snape had pulled in their third year.<br>Several minutes later, Hermione was standing at her table, chopping, crushing, and adding ingredients to the potion that was bubbling in front of her. Glancing around the room, she saw that not many people were finished grinding their lavender, the very first ingredient, while she was already nearing the simmering stage.  
>Hermione added the last ingredient for the first stage, stirred once counter-clockwise, twice clockwise, and once more counter-clockwise, before setting down the wooden stirring-spoon and preparing to wait.<br>Sighing, she plopped down in her seat and looked around the room. Several of the Slytherins looked to be halfway finish with the first stage, while most of the Gryffindors were struggling with crushing their beetle eyes. Snape was glaring down the back of one Dean Thomas, who looked about ready to turn around and stab the Potions Master with the knife he was using to cut up the horned slugs.  
>People-watching soon became boring and Hermione turned to her bag. Fishing around in it, her hand brushed over a now very familiar piece of parchment. Hesitantly she pulled the letter out and unfolded it, glancing around to make sure no one was paying her much attention. She was rereading the letter for the second time when Snape's voice startled her.<br>"10 points from Gryffindor. Pay attention to your potion, Miss Granger. See me after class," he barked.  
>Hermione cringed. Oh great.<br>She looked at the timer she had set and saw that she still had five minutes to wait before she could continue with the Wolfsbane. Sighing she slid the letter carefully back in her bag and read through the instructions for the next phase carefully for the third time that class period.  
>Her timer went off and she began adding ingredients.<br>Salamander eggs.  
>Crushed bezoar.<br>Flobberworms.  
>She stirred the potion seven times clockwise before grabbing her wand and heating the mixture to a boil.<br>'Last but not least,' she thought as she added the Wolfsbane sprouts to the mix. She stirred the potion five more times and then turned the heat off.  
>'Done,' she thought triumphantly as she bottled her potion sample.<p>

ooo

The rest of the period passed slowly and finally the bell rang to dismiss them. As everyone else filed out after placing their samples on Snape's desk, Hermione stayed behind, nervously awaiting whatever punishment the professor decided to deal out for her lack of attention during class.  
>"Miss Granger," Snape began. Hermione forced herself to meet his eyes and not cringe. "Would you care to explain what you were doing that caused you to leave your potion unattended?"<br>She resisted the urge to snap back at him and tell him that she had been attending to her potion and that it had been in the simmering stage, but bit her tongue.  
>"Well?" He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her reply.<br>"Nothing, sir," she mumbled, dropping her eyes.  
>"Do not lie to me."<br>'Oh no,' she felt like crying. She needed a quick excuse.  
>"Reading, sir."<br>"And what was so important that you felt the need to risk an exploding cauldron?" he sneered.  
>Hermione took a deep breath. She didn't know why, but she felt a sudden urge to tell him. She trusted him, even if she didn't like his personality most of the time. He was still a bastard to her most of the time, just like he was to everyone else. He was reliable, even if he wasn't likeable.<br>"A letter, sir," she paused before continuing when she saw the look he was giving her. "A letter from… from Harry, sir."  
>She had spoken the last part in barely a whisper, but Hermione didn't doubt that Snape had heard it, considering that expression of pure shock that was now clearly visible on his face. It took a minute for him to recompose himself.<br>"Miss Granger," he spoke in a strained voice. "Show me the letter."  
>Hermione's eyes widened. Then her expression morphed into one of deep thought.<br>"It's coded," was all she said when she reached inside her bag and retrieved the letter.  
>Snape read the letter, then reread it, and reread it again. His eyebrows furrowed.<br>'Perhaps Potter isn't as daft as I considered him to be?' he thought as he tried to decipher the meaning.  
>He handed the letter back to Hermione and met her eyes.<br>"Miss Granger, meet me in my private Potions lab after lunch. I will speak with the Headmaster on having you excused from classes for the rest of the day."  
>All Hermione could do was nod dumbly. She hesitated a moment before speaking.<br>"What do you think Harry wants to tell me, sir?"  
>Snape stared at her for a moment before replying, "I do not know, Miss Granger."<br>She simply nodded before turning and leaving the classroom and heading towards the Great Hall, gripping her schoolbag tightly to her body.

ooo

Hermione had been working on trying to decipher the letter for hours. It was now well past five o'clock and she still hadn't figured anything out.  
>She'd tried everything she could think of. She'd rearranged the words to spell out other sentences, but those sentences didn't make any more sense than the original letter. She still didn't know what Harry was trying to tell her with the postscript.<br>P.S. I am Lord Voldemort. TMR.  
>T. M. R. were definitely Voldemort's initials. It hadn't been hard for her to remember that he was actually named Tom Marvolo Riddle, but none of that had helped her in any way so far.<br>Snape was sitting across from her at the small table in the back of his private lab working alongside Hermione to try and figure out what the letter meant. He had come up with just as much as she had. She sighed and ran a finger through her hair, pushing it away from her face. Sighing, she decided to read through the letter once more.

Before drift nods at midnight when Moony is active

Prongs Jr.

P.S. I am Lord Voldemort. TMR

Then it hit her.  
>"Sir!" she exclaimed as she grabbed her quill and began writing.<br>"Yes, Miss Granger?" She could tell her was trying to hide his curiosity with his usual disinterest.  
>"'When Moony is active.' It's so simple, why didn't I see it before! Moony is Remus' – err... Professor Lupin's nickname. He's a werewolf, so when he's active is the night of the full moon," she felt so excited to have finally figured out some of meaning behind the letter.<br>"So Potter needs to tell you something about the night of the full moon?" Snape asked incredulously. It sounded like a bad joke. Maybe Potter was a complete halfwit after all. Perhaps he had been delirious or drunk when he had written the letter.  
>Hermione shuffled in her seat. 'Maybe Harry had been delusional?'<br>"I know it seems odd, sir, but I don't want to draw any conclusions before we've figured out the entire message."  
>"Perhaps you're right, Miss Granger," he said simply.<p>

ooo

The rest of the afternoon and much of the evening eventually passed. Hermione's stomach finally reminded her that she hadn't had dinner, and neither had the Potions Master, who had stopped trying to decipher the letter for the time being and was now brewing a potion.  
>Snape had apparently heard the growling of her stomach, much to Hermione's embarrassment, and told her that he had a small stash of food in the cupboards behind that small table she was sitting at.<br>After having eaten a small dinner, she excused herself and bid her professor goodnight. She was lost in thought as she walked down the dungeon corridor to her private quarters.  
>So far she had deciphered a part of the message. She knew she needed to figure the rest of the meaning out soon.<br>Sleep came quickly that night, thanks to the Dreamless Sleep Draught she had been given by the Potions Master shortly before she had left.  
>The next day was much the same as the previous. After her regular cup of coffee, Hermione headed to her first class.<br>Right before lunch she had a double hour of Defence, which was spent reviewing pretty much everything they had done up to that point.

ooo

Hermione sat at the staff table as always, eating her lunch in peace.  
>"Meet me in the lab after lunch, Miss Granger. I have excused you from your afternoon classes for the rest of the week," Snape said quietly, so only she could hear. She merely nodded before turning back to her food.<br>Why was she happy about that? In the past few years she would have thrown a fit had someone excused her from her classes.  
>'Things change, and people change with them,' she thought.<br>Hermione finished up her meal early and decided to head to the library and pick up a few books on cracking codes before she went down to the dungeons for the rest of the day.  
>Browsing the section on codes, she grabbed several books that looked promising; amongst them titles like Codes and 1,000 Ways to Crack Them and Code-Breaking Made Simple.<br>She was just about to leave, when a smaller paperback caught her attention. The spine read Fun With Words and the book itself looked odd squished between ancient tomes. Carefully she pulled it out to stare at the cover.  
>The author was a Muggle… Why would Hogwarts have Muggle books in the library? This was definitely the first one she had seen on any of the shelves. Flipping open to the first page, she saw a name scrawled in the corner of the page. Perhaps it was a book a student had left by accident?<br>Hermione put the book on top of the pile she had already gathered before going to check them out and to return the books she had checked out previously.

ooo

Fifteen minutes later Hermione was sitting in the back of Snape's private Potions lab, reading one of the thick tomes she had checked out. An hour later she found her patience wearing thin. Everything she'd read so far was about code-breaking methods she had already tried.  
>Taking a deep breath she glanced at Snape, who was working on another potion. He had greeted her with a simple nod when she entered the lab. She turned back to the book that lay open in front of her. Half-growling in frustration she closed it and set it back on the pile.<br>Rubbing her temples she sighed. 'Maybe I should take a break…'  
>Her eyes wandered to the small Muggle paperback she had grabbed and decided it wouldn't hurt to spend an hour at most doing something other than trying to crack Harry's coded letter.<br>Flipping the book open to a random page in the middle of the book, she began to read.

'Coded letters can help keep private messages private and unreadable to prying eyes. There are several ways to code not only entire words, but also individual words and sentences.  
>One of the simplest methods is rearranging the words in a sentence to make no sense. Moving punctuation also helps to rearrange the literal meaning and hide the original message, making it harder to decipher.<br>Another common method is the anagram (see page 72).'

Hermione froze before swiftly turning to the mentioned page.

'Anagrams are a great way to exercise the mind. They're also popular in word games and logic puzzles. Anagrams are also often used to code letters and messages to hide the true meaning and confuse the reader.'

Suddenly something clicked in her brain. Frantically she grabbed her quill and a piece of parchment.

P.S. I am Lord Voldemort. Tom Marvolo Riddle

Hermione started to rearrange letters and began to realize what Harry had meant with the postscript. She stared at the parchment when she realized that it was the code to part of the letter.  
>'Harry, you're a genius,' she thought.<p>

* * *

><p>So, what do you guys think? ^-^<p>

**Review and let me know**. :D

I have the basic idea for the next chapter planned out in my head, just need to figure out the details and then write it. Writing it takes ages, though... I think my muse is halfway back now, though. Yay!


End file.
